Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, Tuesday, June 30, 40 members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC), led by Policy Task Force Co-Chairs Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) sent a letter to President Trump, HHS Secretary Kennedy, and NIH Director Bhattacharya, expressing continued concern with the administration's failure to address cuts to women’s health research and restrictions on research grants that use terms such as “women” and “female.” In 2025, the number of women’s health research projects decreased by 31%. The letter urges the administration to restore and prioritize funding for women’s health research, remove restrictions on the use of terms related to women in NIH-funded research, and recommit to advancing research that improves women’s health outcomes.

Today’s letter is the latest of a series of oversight measures from DWC to restore and expand women’s health research following attacks from the Trump administration. In April 2025, DWC sent an oversight letter that called on the Trump administration to stop attacking women’s health research. Additionally, last year, after pressure from the DWC, the Department of Health and Human Services restored funding for the Women's Health Initiative. However, NIH funding at-large and university-based research is still being attacked by Trump. Last fall, DWC members hosted a hearing in North Carolina on some of the tangible ways these cuts have impacted breast cancer research.

This letter also follows the release of the DWC’s Healthcare Legislative Slate, a package of bills that fulfill our commitment to building a healthier, more equitable future for all—including a future with more investments in women’s health research.

In their letter, DWC members called out the Trump administration for compromising 30 years of much-needed progress to expand women’s health research.

“Your administration single-handedly compromised over 30 years of steady progress to bolster women’s health research. While funding was restored to the Women’s Health Initiative after our advocacy and the courts stepped in to address the NIH research funding cap, your administration has not taken meaningful action to address the larger trend of threatening to defund existing and ongoing women’s health-related research, specifically due to the list of banned words. As a result, the number of women’s health research projects decreased by 31% in 2025.”

The Members closed their letter by imploring the administration to prioritize women’s health research and clearly and immediately remove the ban on ‘women’ and ‘females’ in NIH-funded research:

“Women constitute half the population and utilize healthcare more than men. Yet, women’s health research remains under-researched and under-addressed. The treatments and care that women receive are based on research on predominantly men. Gutting women’s health research does not make Americans healthier; rather, it’s a clear threat to women’s lives. It is past time for your administration to prioritize women’s health research and clearly and immediately remove the ban on ‘women’ and ‘females’ in NIH-funded research.”

Read the full letter here.

In addition to letter leads Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Deborah Ross, the letter was signed by Yassamin Ansari, Joyce Beatty, Julia Brownley, Kathy Castor, Judy Chu, Jasmine Crockett, Debbie Dingell, Sarah Elfreth, Laura Friedman, Sylvia Garcia, Adelita Grijalva, Pramila Jayapal, Julie Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Summer Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Betty McCollum, LaMonica McIver, Analilia Mejia, Nancy Pelosi, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Nellie Pou, Ayanna Pressley, Emily Randall, Deborah Ross, Andrea Salinas, Mary Gay Scanlon, Janice Schakowsky, Lateefah Simon, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Lori Trahan, Nydia Velázquez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.