Advancing Women’s Health to Improve Outcomes in All Phases of Life
President: Donald J. Trump
Directs a new NIH division and research task force while replacing the 2023 and 2024 presidential initiatives.
Status: In effect. Yes. The October 19, 2026 women’s health order directs HHS and NIH to establish a Women’s Health Division within 90 days and creates a White House task force. Its section 5 revokes EO 14120 and the November 13, 2023 memorandum; the new directions have no express sunset. Signed order, sections 2–6.
White House text used pending verified Federal Register publication and numbering, as of October 20, 2026.
Quick facts
- Signed
- October 19, 2026
- Order number
- Not yet verified
- Federal Register
- Publication, document number and citation not yet verified as of October 20, 2026; this guide uses the White House signed text.
- President
- Donald J. Trump
- Current status
- In effect
- Legal authority
- The Constitution and laws of the United States; section 6 preserves existing agency authority and appropriations limits.
- Key deadline
- 90 days to establish the NIH division: January 17, 2027, calculated from signing without an assumed weekend extension.
What does the October 19, 2026 women’s health order do?
It gives women’s health research a new organizational structure at NIH. HHS, acting through the NIH Director, must establish a Women’s Health Division within an appropriate institute or center within 90 days. The division is to coordinate with the existing Office of Research on Women’s Health, rather than replace that office.
Its research agenda spans the life course, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term outcomes. The division’s responsibilities include coordinating research, supporting scientific review, considering sex as a biological variable, improving participation in clinical research and helping research findings reach clinical practice. The operative provisions set assignments; they do not show that a division has already opened or that a treatment has been approved.
What it means in practice
Researchers and participating agencies receive coordination and grantmaking priorities, while patients may eventually encounter changes in research or care delivery. The order itself does not create an individual entitlement to a grant, appointment or medical service. Existing legal requirements still govern funding decisions and clinical care.
What agencies did under it
October 19, 2026: the President established the task force in the signed instrument. HHS is to provide its administrative support and funding as the law permits. The HHS Secretary and the President’s Chief of Staff co-chair the body, with participating federal officials specified in section 3.
The October 19 White House fact sheet describes the initiative. No official completion record for establishing the NIH division was found in the HHS and NIH material reviewed October 20, 2026; its January 17 deadline is still ahead.
HHS issued its own October 19 announcement describing the division as an assignment to establish, with research coordination and translation responsibilities.
Court cases
No federal court ruling on the October 19 women’s health instrument was identified in the official court records searched through October 20, 2026.
Congress
No enacted law overriding this October 19 research reorganization was identified in the official congressional records reviewed October 20, 2026. Section 6 makes implementation subject to available appropriations and does not alter Congress’s power to set agency duties by statute.
Family tree
The November 13, 2023 White House initiative memorandum preceded EO 14120 of March 18, 2024. Section 5 of the October 19, 2026 order expressly revokes both prior instruments. The new NIH division and task force are separate directions; the revocation alone is not evidence that every previously awarded research grant was canceled.
What happened next
President Biden signed the earlier women’s health research order. EO 14120.
The replacement instrument established a task force, directed the NIH division and revoked the earlier order and memorandum. Sections 2, 3 and 5.
The 90-day division-establishment period ends on this calculated date. This future milestone is not a completed agency action. Section 2(a).
Common questions
What is the October 19, 2026 women’s health order?
It is President Trump’s direction to organize a new NIH division and a White House task force for women’s health research and its translation into care.
Is it still in effect?
Yes. The October 19, 2026 women’s health order directs HHS and NIH to establish a Women’s Health Division within 90 days and creates a White House task force. Its section 5 revokes EO 14120 and the November 13, 2023 memorandum; the new directions have no express sunset. Signed order, sections 2–6.
When does it expire?
The instrument sets no overall expiration date. January 17, 2027 is the calculated division-establishment deadline, not an automatic end to the order.
Where can I read the full text?
The White House text signed October 19 is the available primary text used here. A Federal Register number, document citation and authenticated published PDF have not yet been verified and will be added when available.
Who does it affect?
HHS, NIH and the other task-force participants carry the direct assignments; researchers, providers and women across different life stages are the intended beneficiaries of the research priorities.
Legal basis
The President invokes constitutional and statutory executive authority in the opening of the order. Section 6 preserves existing agency powers and OMB functions, conditions implementation on law and appropriations, and creates no privately enforceable right. Those qualifications limit what the research directions themselves can accomplish.
Further reading
Sources
Cite this page
EO Explained, “Advancing Women’s Health to Improve Outcomes in All Phases of Life,” https://eoexplained.com/orders/advancing-womens-health-to-improve-outcomes-in-all-phases-of-life, last updated October 20, 2026.
Last checked October 20, 2026. How we research: Methodology.