Over the past few months, there has been significant activity at the federal level with potential implications for women’s health and other federal research. In this blog post, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) highlights where things stand, which developments could have the greatest impact on women’s health research, and what’s on the horizon.
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS
Budget “Passback” Document Outlines Cuts to Research. According to a preliminary internal budget “passback” document released on April 16, the Trump administration is seeking to cut nearly one-third in discretionary spending from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Notable proposals within the document include:
- Reducing the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from $47 billion to $27 billion and consolidating its 27 Institutes and Centers into eight, including eliminating the National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
- Reducing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget by 44%, including eliminating the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and all the funding for programs in this Center
- Eliminating funding for the Administration for Community Living, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
It’s important to remember that the president’s budget — of which this document is a part — serves as a guidance document, outlining how the president would like funding to be allocated in the coming fiscal year. It does not carry the force of law and is not binding on Congress. Ultimately, Congress directs federal spending and appropriations, and SWHR continues to work with both Congress and the administration to further investment in the health of women.
The president is expected to release a “skinny budget,” a preliminary budget outline, for fiscal year (FY) 2026 in late April or early May.
SWHR Engages on FY 2026 Appropriations. As part of its efforts to champion sustained robust investments for women’s health research, SWHR earlier this month submitted outside witness testimony to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee for FY 2026. SWHR’s testimony outlined the unique, important roles of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Health Disparities (NICHD) in the U.S. research enterprise. The testimony outlined the Society’s funding requests for ORWH and NICHD as well as for NIH overall. Read the testimony here.
FEDERAL AGENCY UPDATES
HHS Announces Reorganization. On March 27, HHS announced a large restructuring of the agency in response to the Executive Order “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” The restructuring called for:
- Reduction in the HHS workforce from 82,000 full-time employees to 62,000 employees (FDA by approximately 3,500, CDC by 2,400, NIH by 1,200, and CMS by 300)
- Consolidation of the HRSA, SAMHSA, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) into a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA)
- Combination of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and AHRQ into the Office of Strategy
According to an HHS fact sheet, “No additional cuts are currently planned, but the Department will continue to look for further ways to streamline its operations and agencies.” Read the press release from HHS here.
SWHR issued a statement in response to the release of the administration’s Executive Order and the mass layoffs of employees across HHS. SWHR noted that the reductions of the federal health workforce will undermine scientific progress and public health, which will have particularly devastating consequences for women’s health – an area of research which is already woefully behind.
Of note for women’s health research, as part of the restructuring, it was announced that NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi was placed on administrative leave. SWHR released a statement on her departure thanking Dr. Bianchi for her unwavering commitment to advancing women’s health research and policy and expressing its disappointment in the decision to place Dr. Bianchi on administrative leave, as it represents a significant loss of expertise at NIH.
Drs. Bhattacharya, Makary, and Oz Confirmed. Over the past several weeks, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya was confirmed as NIH Director, Dr. Matin Makary was confirmed as FDA commissioner, and Dr. Mehmet Oz was confirmed as CMS Administrator. Visit Research!America’s Nominations Tracker for more.
DOGE’s Role in Grants.gov. On April 11, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Service is now allowed to review and approve proposed grant opportunities across the federal government. Historically, federal agencies have posted their grant opportunities to grants.gov, and entities respond with applications for funding. However, according to the article, many federal agency officials have had their permissions to post grant opportunities removed, placing the responsibility of posting grant opportunities with DOGE. HHS released a statement saying that the agency was “taking action to ensure new grant opportunities are aligned” with administration priorities. Read the article here.
HHS Announces Policy Ending Public Participation in Federal Rulemaking. On March 3, the HHS Immediate Office of the Secretary announced in the Federal Register that it would be rescinding the policy on Public Participation in Rule Making. For more than 50 years, the public has had an opportunity to weigh in on federal policies through rulemaking through a policy known as the Richardson Waiver. While SWHR expects some notice and comment opportunities will continue, health-related notice and comment periods will likely be affected. SWHR issued a statement opposing the decision and sharing its concern that this policy change will silence the voices of the people these policies affect most—patients, health care providers, researchers, and all Americans—who provide critical perspectives and insights that regulators may otherwise overlook.
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY
Bipartisan Appropriations Hearing. House Appropriations Committee Chair and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA) recently announced a two-part hearing series, “Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation.” The first hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m. ET and will feature researchers and stakeholders who will discuss the importance of biomedical research and its impact on the economy. The hearing will be livestreamed here.
SWHR Endorses Menopause Legislation. SWHR was pleased to once again this year support the Servicewomen and Veterans Menopause Research Act, legislation from Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK), with the support of Senators Murray (D-WA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA). The bill would require the Department of Defense in coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs to analyze gaps in treatment and research for servicewomen and women veterans experiencing perimenopause or menopause, with a focus on the effect of combat roles, toxic exposure, and on overall mental health. Read the press release, featuring a quote from SWHR, here.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The public health community is still reviewing the president’s passback budget document and what it could mean for the health research enterprise. Furthermore, there is much that remains to be seen with respect to the FY 2026 appropriations process. Many still believe that—despite lawmakers’ efforts—a continuing resolution is imminent. SWHR’s efforts will be centered on raising awareness about the unique role of women’s health research entities, such as the ORWH and the NICHD, in addition to many other Institutes across the NIH and within FDA, as well as how sex differences research improves outcomes for all.
To help serve as a guidepost for this work is SWHR’s recently released 2025-2026 Women’s Health Policy Agenda. The agenda builds upon the 2023-2024 Federal Legislative Agenda and identifies the women’s health focus areas where SWHR believes it can drive the most meaningful change over the next two years and reflects alignment with SWHR’s Women’s Health Research Agenda, published in January 2025.
Would you like to join us in our efforts? Please email policy@swhr.org.