October 20, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday directed the federal government to bolster federal research into women's health through all stages of their lives, a move pushed by his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
The Republican president signed an executive order creating a Women’s Health Division at the National Institutes of Health and a separate White House Women's Health Task Force. The panel was set to hold its first meeting on Monday.
“Beginning today, we will change the reality of women’s health,” Melania Trump said. “Previous generations fought for women’s rights. Our generation will fight to discover the cures that will ensure a woman can live her life in health and to the fullest.”
The president spoke after his wife and said the order will “promote new research and really go after the understudied diseases affecting women.” The order is also intended to promote diagnostic technology and improve treatment.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently completed treatment for breast cancer, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will lead the White House task force. Donald Trump said the panel will coordinate with various federal agencies and programs. The order does not include specific funding goals.
The initiative follows meetings the first lady had with the president, Kennedy and other federal health officials to help shape the order and the task force.
The president called it a "historic action” and praised her work.
“She’s accomplished so much,” he said, and expressed surprise that some of the order's requirements had not already been imposed.
“Who the hell wouldn't have a women's health division?” he said, after recalling that he'd asked Melania Trump, “Are you sure they don't have that?”
The NIH has an Office of Research on Women’s Health, established in 1990 to advance understanding of the biological and social factors that influence women's health and disease, according to its website.
A goal of the new Women's Health Division is to improve the government's ability to coordinate research, according to a fact sheet distributed by the White House.
The executive order signed Monday calls for more research into key areas of women's health, including maternal health, mental health, endometriosis, infertility, fibroids and menopause. It also mentions other health concerns, including Alzheimer’s and heart disease, osteoporosis and stroke.
The initiative adds a new dimension to Melania Trump’s policy portfolio as first lady.
In Donald Trump's second term, Melania Trump has focused on improving foster care systems, expanding technology and artificial-intelligence access in education, and reuniting children separated from their families by Russia's war against Ukraine.
In Trump's first presidency, the first lady's signature initiative, Be Best, focused on child well-being, safe social media use, and reducing drug abuse.
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