Trump signs women's health order creating NIH division and task force
President Trump signed an order on women's health Monday. It creates a new division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force, the AP and the New York Post reported. First lady Melania Trump led the Rose Garden event, and the AP said the order sets no funding goals.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday creating a women's health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force on women's health, USA Today and the New York Post reported. The order gives the division 90 days to be set up, working with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, according to the White House.
First lady Melania Trump led the signing event in the Rose Garden. She and the president signed the order together, passing it between them and trading pens, the New York Post reported. "This is a transformative moment for women in America," she said.
USA Today reported that the first lady pushed the administration to give women's health more weight in medical research. She held meetings in the East Wing with doctors and other experts and met with Health and Human Services officials to set up the task force, USA Today reported, citing a White House document.
The task force will be led by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, the New York Post and USA Today reported. Cheryl Hines, Mehmet Oz and Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin stood with the couple at the signing, the New York Post reported.
The order targets conditions including osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, maternal health and endometriosis, according to a briefing document seen by USA Today. The order does not include specific funding goals, the AP reported. The NIH spends about $5 billion a year on women's health, about 10% of its budget, USA Today reported, citing the agency.
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center at New York University's law school said the president's record, including healthcare cuts and curbs on scientific research, is "at odds" with the order's goals, USA Today reported. Former President Joe Biden signed a women's health order in March 2024, USA Today reported. Katie Keith, a former Biden White House official, said the administration "appears to be building on work that began" under Biden, the Washington Post reported.
The Washington Post called the signing a rare high-profile joint appearance for the couple as the president and his party face eroding support among female voters ahead of the midterm elections.
What we know: The order creates an NIH women's health division and a task force led by Wiles and Kennedy.
What we don't: How much new money the division will get and when the task force will issue its first plans.
Where outlets agree The AP, the Washington Post and the New York Post report that the order creates an NIH women's health division and a task force led by Susie Wiles and Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.