Why Congress Is Talking About Menopause Now

On September 16, 2026, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held the first congressional hearing focused on menopause. Kirsten Gillibrand (Democrat-New York) served as the committee's ranking member and helped bring experts to the table. Witnesses at the hearing included Jean Wactawski-Wende, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo; gynecologist Lynne M. Coslett-Charlton; Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law; and Suzanne Silverman Fenske, a women’s health ambassador at HHS. The meeting was held in room SH-216.

The hearing has been used to highlight gaps in care and to argue for more coordinated research and clinical training. Although hormone therapy was long avoided after early studies, the FDA removed broad 'black box' warnings for some menopausal hormone products in 2025, which has changed prescribing discussions. NIH funding for menopause-related work has existed, with RCDC tracking showing $56 million in fiscal year 2023, and specific grant opportunities have been opened to study mood and other symptoms. Gillibrand has supported legislation that would authorize federal research dollars and programs, including $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to expand research and services.