Health Care & Life Sciences covers initiatives in the healthcare sector, including policies aimed at improving access, reducing costs, and ensuring the US remains a global leader in life sciences. Asterisked executive orders are currently or have been challenged in court. Our legal challenge tracker provides daily updates on their respective statuses.
- Adjusting Imports of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Ingredients into the United States: Concludes that imports of patented pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients pose a national security risk and responds by imposing steep Section 232 tariffs—up to 100 percent. (4/2)
- Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides: Declares elemental phosphorus and glyphosate‑based herbicides critical to U.S. national defense and food security and uses Defense Production Act authorities to prioritize and protect their domestic production by delegating allocation and contracting powers to the Secretary of Agriculture. (2/18)
- Addressing Addiction through the Great American Recovery Initiative: Establishes the Great American Recovery Initiative to coordinate a government-wide, evidence-based response to addiction by expanding treatment access. (1/29)
- Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research: Ordered the expedited rescheduling of marijuana to Schedule III and the expansion of research and regulatory frameworks for medical marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) products to improve patient access. (12/18/25)
- Designating Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction: Designated illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction, ordering federal agencies to take coordinated actions to eliminate the threat they pose to national security and public safety. (12/15/25)
- President Donald J. Trump Announces Second Deal to Bring Most-Favored-Nation Pricing to American Patients: President Trump announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to bring American drug prices in line with the lowest paid by other developed nations. (10/10/25)
- Unlocking Cures for Pediatric Cancer with Artificial Intelligence: Directs federal agencies and the private sector to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in pediatric cancer research and care. (9/30/25)
- Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services the Commissioner of Food and Drugs: Directs federal health agencies to strengthen regulations on direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, mandating clearer disclosure of risks and ensuring advertisements are truthful, balanced, and not misleading to consumers.(9/9/25)
- Ensuring American Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Resilience by Filling the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve: Directs federal agencies to fill and operationalize the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve (SAPIR) with a six-month supply of critical drug components, prioritizing domestic production to strengthen the resilience of the US pharmaceutical supply chain. (8/13/25)
- Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking: Mandates stricter oversight, accountability, and alignment of federal discretionary grantmaking with national interests and administration priorities, aiming to eliminate wasteful spending and the funding of politically controversial initiatives. (8/7/25)
- President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Re-establishment of the Presidential Fitness Test: Reestablishes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and revives the Presidential Fitness Test to combat declining youth health and promote national strength, vitality, and military readiness through school-based fitness programs and public-private partnerships. (7/31/25)
- Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets: Directs federal agencies to support and incentivize state and local governments in expanding civil commitment and institutional treatment for homeless individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders, while prioritizing public safety through stricter enforcement of anti-vagrancy laws and redirection of federal grants. (7/24/25)
- Eliminating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Medicaid: Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to curb Medicaid overpayments by eliminating state-level reimbursement schemes that inflate federal contributions, aligning Medicaid payment rates more closely with Medicare to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse. (6/6/25)
- Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy: Directs the Department of Energy to overhaul its nuclear reactor testing framework by launching a pilot program for advanced reactor construction outside national laboratories, streamlining regulatory barriers, and accelerating domestic deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies to reclaim US leadership in nuclear innovation. (5/23/25)
- Restoring Gold Standard Science: Mandates that all federal agencies adhere to rigorous, transparent, and politically neutral scientific standards—termed “Gold Standard Science”—to restore public trust in government-funded research and ensure that policy decisions are based on credible and reproducible evidence. (5/23/25)
- Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients: Mandates that American patients receive prescription drugs at the lowest price offered in any economically comparable country—known as the “most-favored-nation” price—aiming to end foreign free-riding on U.S.-funded pharmaceutical innovation and reduce domestic drug costs.(5/12/25)
- Keeping Promises to Veterans and Establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence: Establishes the National Center for Warrior Independence at the West Los Angeles VA Campus to provide housing, healthcare, and support services for homeless veterans nationwide, while mandating reforms to improve accountability and access within the Department of Veterans Affairs. (5/9/25)
- Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research: Halts federal funding for dangerous gain-of-function research conducted by foreign entities in countries of concern, and to enhance oversight and accountability for biological research to ensure public safety and national security. (5/5/25)
- Regulatory Relief to Promote Domestic Production of Critical Medicines: Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in cooperation with the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to streamline existing regulations and accelerate the development of domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing to ensure a robust and resilient supply chain for critical medicines. (5/5/25)
- Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education: Aims to overhaul the accreditation system for higher education institutions by promoting competition among accreditors, reducing bureaucratic oversight, and focusing on improving student outcomes and reducing costs. Specifically, it addresses the failures of current accreditors in ensuring quality education, highlights the need for new accreditors to enter the market, and seeks to eliminate discriminatory practices embedded in accreditation standards and refocus efforts on enhancing graduation rates and labor market performance. (4/23/25)
- White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Establishes a White House initiative to enhance the capacity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities by fostering partnerships with private-sector employers, educational associations, and philanthropic organizations, with the goal to improve institutional planning, fiscal stability, and infrastructure, while providing professional development opportunities for students. (4/23/25)
- Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First: Directs applicable federal agencies to implement measures that reduce prescription drug prices, including promoting generic and biosimilar alternatives, allowing drug imports, and enhancing price transparency. (4/15/25)
- Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits: Gives additional direction for implementing Executive Order 14218 (Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders) by mandating federal agencies to enact measures ensuring that only eligible individuals receive Social Security benefits, including enhanced verification processes and prioritizing enforcement actions against entities that fail to comply. (4/15/25)
- Directing the Repeal of Unlawful Regulations: Directs federal agencies, following the 60-day review period ordered in Executive Order 14219 (“Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative”) set aside for identifying unlawful and potentially unlawful regulations, to immediately take steps to expedite the repeal of any regulation, or the portion of any regulation, that clearly exceeds the agency’s statutory authority or is otherwise unlawful. Agency heads are instructed to bypass the traditional notice and comment period through reason that the “good cause” exception applies as well as give priority to the regulations in conflict with the recent Supreme Court documents listed in the action. (4/9/25)
- Additional Recissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions: Revokes an additional 18 executive actions from the Biden administration not covered in Executive Order 14148 of January 20, 2025 (Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions), to restore common sense to the federal government and unleash the potential of American citizens. (3/14/25)
- Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Revises the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to exclude organizations engaged in activities deemed illegal, such as aiding illegal immigration, supporting terrorism, and child abuse, which includes “including the chemical and surgical castration or mutilation of children or the trafficking of children to so-called transgender sanctuary States for purposes of emancipation from their lawful parents,” from eligibility for loan forgiveness. (3/7/25)
- Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information: Mandates the rapid implementation and enforcement of healthcare price transparency regulations to ensure patients have access to clear, accurate, and actionable pricing information for medical services. (2/25/25)
- Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders: Directs federal agencies to identify and eliminate federally funded programs that provide benefits to illegal aliens, ensure federal payments do not support illegal immigration or sanctuary policies, and refer improper benefit use to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. (2/19/25)
- Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization: Expands access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and reduce associated costs for Americans. (2/18/25)
- Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools: Prohibits the use of discretionary Federal funds for educational institutions that mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for in-person attendance, emphasizing parental authority and personal freedom. (2/14/25)
- Establishing the President's Make America Healthy Again Commission: Aims to investigate and address the root causes of America's escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases. (2/13/25)
- Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation: Prohibits federal funding, support, and promotion of medical interventions aimed at transitioning children under 19 years old, including the use of puberty blockers, sex hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries (1/28/25)*
- Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness: Directs that transgender individuals may not serve in the US military. Revokes Executive Order 14004 of January 25, 2021 (Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform). (1/27/25)*
- Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under the Military's COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate: Directs the Secretary of Defense and/or Secretary of Homeland Security to make reinstatement available to all members of the military (active and reserve) who were discharged solely for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and who request to be reinstated at their former rank with full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, or compensation, and/or to allow any service members who provide a written and sworn attestation that they voluntarily left the service or allowed their service to lapse according to appropriate procedures, rather than be vaccinated under the vaccine mandate, to return to service with no impact on their service status, rank, or pay. (1/27/25)
- Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency: Establishes a council to review and recommend improvements to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance its effectiveness and impartiality in disaster response (1/24/25)
- Enforcing the Hyde Amendment: Enforces the Hyde Amendment by prohibiting the use of federal funds for elective abortions and revoking previous orders that allowed such funding. (1/24/25)
- Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human Services the Administrator of the United States for International Development: Reinstates the Mexico City Policy, prohibiting US federal funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortions, and directs the Secretary of State to ensure compliance across all global health assistance programs (1/24/25)*
- Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization: Directs the US to withdraw from WHO and reallocates global health responsibilities. (1/20/25)
- Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis: Mandates price relief for housing, healthcare, and job creation. (1/20/25)
- Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program: Suspends USRAP, with case-by-case admissions possible. (1/20/25)
- Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions: Revokes 78 previous policies related to racial equity, COVID-19, environmental protection, and anti-discrimination measures, aiming to adjust these areas in line with the current administration's priorities.(1/20/25)
To learn more please visit www.whitehouse.gov
Last updated 4/6/2026