Trump Establishes Women's Health Task Force at White House

President Donald Trump established a Women's Health Task Force at the White House and a Women's Health Division at the National Institutes of Health on Monday, October 19, 2026. The executive order aims to advance women's health research and improve the early diagnosis of medical conditions, with several senior administration figures and Cheryl Hines attending the signing ceremony.

First lady Melania Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, second lady Usha Vance, and Hines, the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attended the event. Melania Trump originated the initiative and delivered the opening remarks.

Her remarks framed the initiative around medical research and the pursuit of treatments for conditions affecting women.

"Previous generations fought for women's rights," said Melania Trump.

She followed that statement with a call for a greater focus on medical discoveries and women's long-term well-being.

"Our generation will fight to discover cures that will ensure a woman can lead her life in health and to the fullest," Melania Trump said.

The initiative comes amid broader disputes over the Trump administration's approach to reproductive health. The administration and the MAGA movement have faced criticism over restrictions on abortion access, gender-affirming care, birth control access, and funding for women's health research. Melania Trump has previously expressed opposition to her husband's anti-abortion views.

During the signing ceremony, Donald Trump said his administration would work to improve access to medical care and support technologies that identify health conditions earlier.

"The care that they need and deserve," Trump said, describing the care his administration intended to provide women.

Trump also emphasized the initiative's focus on identifying medical conditions earlier through research and technology.

"Sooner," Trump said, referring to the intended timing of diagnoses under the initiative.

The president also questioned whether the federal government already had a dedicated division for women's health when he first learned about the proposal.

"When I heard about it, I said, 'Are you sure they don't have that?'" Trump said. "They don't have a women's health division?"

The National Institutes of Health already operates an Office of Research on Women's Health, which focuses on research related to women's health. The newly announced division would add another organizational component to the agency's work in this area.

Trump also acknowledged Susie Wiles during the ceremony, congratulating the White House chief of staff on being cancer-free. Wiles announced that status in September 2026, following her earlier disclosure in March that she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.