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Politics · October 20, 2026

Trump order sets up new women’s health research initiative at NIH, White House task force

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 19, 2026, establishing a new Women’s Health Division within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and creating a White House Women’s Health Task Force. Led by First Lady Melania Trump, the initiative aims to address historical shortfalls in research for conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as endometriosis and menopause. The Task Force will be co-chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The order also rescinds several 2023 and 2024 directives from the Biden administration regarding women's health research. While administration officials stated the effort would utilize advanced tools like AI and target specific funding, exact budget allocations for the new division remain undetermined.

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Reported across the spectrum

  • President Trump signed an executive order establishing a Women’s Health Division within the NIH.
  • A White House Women’s Health Task Force was created, co-chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Susie Wiles.
  • First Lady Melania Trump was a primary formulator and leader of the initiative.
  • The executive order revokes a 2024 executive order and a 2023 memorandum signed by Joe Biden.
  • The initiative targets diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect women, which the administration claims are chronically understudied.

Reported by only some outlets

  • The order does not mention research into contraception or reproductive rights.
  • The Food and Drug Administration is currently conducting a safety review of abortion medication.
  • HHS and FDA previously removed 'black box' warnings from hormone replacement therapy products in 2025.
  • The Trump administration has previously proposed cuts to the NIH budget.
  • The initiative was announced two weeks before the midterm elections.
  • The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health may direct between $100 million and $200 million toward women's health efforts.
  • The administration previously rescinded Biden-era Title IX rules and barred biological men from women's sports.

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