First lady Melania Trump pressed her husband’s administration to give women’s health greater priority in medical research, USA TODAY has learned — a push that culminated Oct. 19 in an executive order creating a new division at the National Institutes of Health.
President Donald Trump established the Women’s Health Division and a White House Women’s Health Task Force aimed at overhauling the federal government’s approach to women’s health, according to a White House document obtained by USA TODAY.
The initiative comes amid a flurry of meetings set up by the first lady herself inside the East Wing including working sessions with physicians and other experts in the public and private sectors. She met with officials from Health and Human Services to establish the task force.
The first lady led the signing event in the Rose Garden, giving a speech highlighting the need for women’s health research, using artificial intelligence to speed up health discoveries, ensuring care is accessible and affordable, and approaching topics that previously weren’t discussed.
The initiative, pushed by the first lady, aims to expand research and improve care for health conditions affecting women.
“Our mission must serve women at every stage of life, from young girls just starting out to mothers dealing with a complex range of responsibilities, to mature women who deserve to have vitality, dignity, and independence,” Melania Trump said. “In 2026, medical advances can do more than just prolong life. It should give women the freedom to live life to its fullest- to pursue our dreams, experience love, discover, create, travel, and lead.”
The new division won’t replace the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, which has safeguarded women’s health since 1990. Its broader mandate will extend beyond research, coordinating agencies to accelerate scientific discoveries and improve healthcare for girls and women.
The task force will be led by Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who has recently been vocal about her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy will steer women’s health policy after an 18-month tenure marked by dismantling public health initiatives, changes to disease prevention and vaccine policy, and major workforce cuts.
It also comes when menopause is having its moment in Washington.
First lady Melania Trump brought her own style, sometimes casual and often elevated, to her husband’s two terms in the White House.
Kennedy announced in November 2025 that the Federal Drug Administration was removing the black box warning from some hormone replacement therapy after more than 20 years, making them more accessible to women.
The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held the first congressional hearing on the issue. The Food and Drug Administration convened physicians and experts to discuss the benefits of testosterone for women. HHS also met with drugmakers about increasing the supply of estrogen patches and with a panel of doctors about expanding vaginal estrogen use among menopausal women.
The order highlights many midlife health conditions – including osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and stroke, while also targeting maternal health, mental health and endometriosis among other health concerns, according to the early briefing document obtained by USA TODAY. The White House has not shared the amount of money designated for research or treatment.
The moment positions Melania Trump as an advocate for women’s health.
During her husband’s first term, she advocated for children and online safety, launching Be Best.
This presidential term, she has focused mostly on children, including foster care reforms and investing in tech access for education. In September, she launched the initiative Imperia bringing together female CEOS to network and influence policy.
“Today, we establish a new ambition: transforming hardship and pain into scientific discovery, effective treatments, and lasting cures. We Are Women. We are resilient, capable, and deserving of lives defined not by the burdens we carry, but by the possibilities before us,” Melania Trump said during the signing ceremony in the Rose Garden. “Our health should never limit the fullness of our lives.”
The president spoke briefly at the event about how his wife is the reason for the new office and task force.
When Melania Trump first approached the president about establishing a new office, he said he didn’t believe a women’s health office didn’t already exist within the NIH.
“I said, ‘Are you sure they don’t have that?’ Who the hell wouldn’t have a woman’s health division?” the president said. “Today’s order also establishes the White House Women’s Health Task Force, which will mobilize the entire federal government to coordinate action focused on improving women itself.”
President Trump’s emphasis on women’s health comes two weeks before midterm elections when his approval rate by women is at 29%, according to an August University of Amherst poll.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on women’s health in March 2024, which also focused on heart disease, menopause, perimenopause, endometriosis and Alzheimer’s Disease.
The NIH typically spends about $5 billion annually on women’s health, about 10% of its annual budget, according to the NIH. This has remained steady regardless of administration. It was unclear how much this could change.
Some advocates for women’s health say they appreciate the administration’s commitment to improving research and treatment for women’s health, noting the lack of progress has transcended political parties. They also found hope in the first lady’s prioritization of affordable treatments.
