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Politics · October 20, 2026

Trump’s NIH women’s health office could save lives: Tiana Lowe Doescher

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a new Women’s Health Division within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a corresponding White House Women’s Health Task Force. The initiative, largely credited to First Lady Melania Trump, aims to address chronic under-research into conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as endometriosis and preeclampsia. The order simultaneously revokes previous Biden-era executive actions related to women's health research. While the administration frames the move as a historic step toward scientific equity, critics argue the order is 'unfunded' and hypocritical given concurrent administration efforts to cut NIH funding and Medicaid spending. The task force will be co-chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

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Reported across the spectrum

  • President Trump signed an executive order creating a Women’s Health Division at the NIH.
  • A new White House Women’s Health Task Force was established to be co-chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Susie Wiles.
  • First Lady Melania Trump played a leading role in the development of the order.
  • The order revokes a 2024 executive order and a 2023 memorandum regarding women's health research signed by former President Joe Biden.
  • The NIH already contains an Office of Research on Women’s Health established in 1990.

Reported by only some outlets

  • The initiative was announced two weeks before midterm elections.
  • The Trump administration has previously sought to cut NIH funding.
  • The 2025 tax and spending law signed by Trump includes approximately $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years.
  • The executive order does not explicitly mention contraception or reproductive rights.
  • The FDA is currently conducting a safety review of abortion medication.

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