Biden to sign executive order to expand research on women’s health

President Biden on Monday will sign an executive order aimed at expanding research and improving government initiatives on women’s health, a move that will coincide with a White House Women’s History Month reception.

The president’s executive order will “ensure women’s health is integrated and prioritized across the federal research portfolio and budget,” the White House said, with a focus on the administration’s Initiative on Women’s Health Research. 

In addition, Biden will announce more than 20 actions from federal agencies outlining ways they will prioritize research on women’s health. 

The executive order directs relevant agencies to strengthen research and data standards on women’s health with the purpose of better leveraging federal funding. It also directs agencies to prioritize funding for women’s health research and encourage innovation.

And Biden’s order will direct the Office of Management and Budget and the Gender Policy Council to assess gaps in federal funding for women’s health and identify potential changes.

In addition, the president and first lady Jill Biden will announce more than 20 commitments and actions through the Pentagon, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

Among the actions will be the launch of an effort that will direct investments of $200 million in fiscal year 2025 to fund new women’s health research. Biden has previously called on Congress to create a Fund for Women’s Health Research at the National Institutes of Health.

The executive order signing comes as the president and first lady are set to host guests for a White House reception to mark Women’s History Month. It also comes after the first lady in February announced $100 million in federal funding for research and development into women’s health through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H.