The fate of the first-ever White House Gender Policy Council is uncertain in Trump’s administration

WASHINGTON — During the transition period between presidents Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trumpthere has been at least some coordination on West Wing matters. But not when it comes to Biden’s Gender Policy Council, who has worked to defend reproductive health care despite increasing restrictions.

The first office of its kind was an effort to advance policies that would improve the lives of women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. Over the past four years, the country has sought to promote reproductive freedom, make wages more equitable and increase women’s participation in the labor market. It was created in September 2021 via an executive order by Biden, and members of his Cabinet have representatives on the council.

It is not unusual for new presidents to redesign the West Wing to meet upcoming priorities, and the Trump administration has not said in any way whether the council will continue to exist. But Project 2025a conservative playbook written for a new Republican administration, has said it should be scrapped — in part because it promotes abortion. And Biden officials are concerned about what that could mean — especially as reproductive health continues to worsen for some women across the country after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Project 2025 is a detailed 920-page roadmap for governing led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. It is a whirlwind of far-right ambitions and the proposals include impeachment thousands of civil servants and replace them with Trump loyalists and reversing the Food and Drug Administration approval of drugs used in abortions. The president-elect has claimed he has never seen it, but many members of his new administration have written sections and Many of Trump’s policies are aligned.

According to the handbook, the incoming president should revoke the executive order that created the Gender Policy Council, “and any policies, including subregulatory guidance documents, produced on behalf of or related to the establishment or furtherance of the Gender Policy Council and its subsidiary issues . .”

It incorrectly characterizes the office as one whose primary purpose is “gender-affirming care” and “gender reassignment” operations on minors. The document also claims that by abolishing the office, Trump would eliminate “the central promotion of abortion” and “comprehensive sex education.”

It suggests instead that the president should spend time developing new structures aimed at “promoting life and strengthening the family.”

Other presidents have made space for women’s issues, but there is no office within the West Wing specifically dedicated to promoting policy changes on behalf of women. Since the agency’s creation, Biden has signed three executive orders and a presidential memorandum directing his administration to protect access to reproductive health care, among other things.

The council has also worked to address health disparities. Biden announced one last year women’s health research initiative at the insistence of wife Jill, almost $ 1 billion has been invested in it. Women make up half of the U.S. population, approximately 168 million people, but medical research into their unique health conditions is largely underfunded and understudied.

The council has also worked to reduce childcare payments and advocated for better paid leave for families.

“The reality of the situation is that we’ve done a tremendous amount that not only helps women — women and families — but it actually helps our society as a whole,” said Jen Klein, president of the board.

Klein believes some of the Gender Policy Council’s work will not be undone. The Violence against Women ActFor example, permission was granted again in 2022. And other issues have long been seen as bipartisan. Sen. Marco RubioTrump’s nominee for secretary of state, R-Fla., co-sponsored the Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill signed by Trump that aims to protect women and girls worldwide from violence and involving women in conflict prevention.

“We had reached a point in American history where many of these issues were not only bipartisan, but where the business case had been made,” Klein said. “Health care is a perfect example of this. If you think about the trajectory of the last decade, these are issues that are no longer seen as women’s issues.”

But reproductive health care is much more controversial. The Gender Policy Council was founded before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down abortion rights in 2022. Since then, access to abortion and other reproductive care has become a major concern for the agency as states have restricted access to health care.

The council has led efforts across the administration to help secure access, including working with the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidelines reminding hospitals Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Acta federal law that requires physicians to stabilize or treat any patient who presents to the emergency room. Women have been rejected during miscarriages and left bleeding in parking lots, partly because of abortion restrictions.

Trump has doubted access to abortion, especially during his campaign. He said that abortion borders should be left to the states, and has refused to endorse a national ban. Trump has torn between bragging about appointing the judges who helped undermine federal protections against abortion and trying to appear more neutral.

He recently told NBC that he was unlikely to restrict access to abortion drugs. “I probably stand by what I’ve said for the last two years, and the answer is no,” he said. But “things do change.”