First Lady Melania Trumpurged the White House -- and her husband -- President Trump to confront a longstanding gap in American medicine: Medical research had long failed to give women’s health the same attention as men’s, USA TODAY has learned.
Now, the president is expected to sign an executive order Oct. 19 creating a new Women’s Health Division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House Women’s Health Task Force that aims to overhaul how the federal government approaches women's health, according to a White House document obtained exclusively 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. She wanted to understand gaps in care.
“I acted quickly and organized working sessions between the doctors who I originally consulted, East Wing policy makers, the President, Secretary Kennedy, and other key stakeholders to shape this Executive Order, establish the task force, and create a new department within the NIH, dedicated to women’s health exclusively," the first lady said in a statement exclusively provided to USA TODAY by her senior advisor, Marc Beckman.
The first lady is set to lead the 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, Beckman says.
“It was abundantly clear that women’s healthcare needs to be modernized, the research gap closed, and further, the need to accelerate the discovery of treatments and cures was glaring," Melania Trump also said in the statement.
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 an18-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.
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 hearingon 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.
This builds on that work, advocating for women, Beckman says.
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.
Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focusing on health and wellness. She is the author of "Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter's Search for Truth and Renewal" and can be reached at ltrujillo@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melania Trump pushed Trump on women’s health overhaul -- Exclusive
