An “excited” Jill Biden took it upon herself to announce Monday night the Pentagon is committing more than $500 million annually for research into women’s health.
UPI reports the soon-to-depart first lady revealed the yearly investment of U.S. taxpayer dollars at an elite Clinton Global Initiative talk alongside Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, in New York City.
“It’s a big deal. And it’s about time,” Biden said as she announced the funding. “We’re going to get moving on this.”
A statement from the Department of Defense confirmed the half-billion-dollar investment for women’s health research will primarily come through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, a Department of Defense program that receives funding for specific biomedical research.
Jill Biden speaks about women’s health at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) on September 23, 2024 in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
It said investing in women’s health research is “critical” to meeting the healthcare needs of the more than 230,000 active-duty servicewomen and nearly two million women military retirees.
Biden said the research will improve the health of women in the military service, “which then transcends to all women.”
“So, I’m so excited about that,” she added.
The women’s health announcement came moments before the organization bestowed President Joe Biden with the 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award, as Breitbart News reported.
“He’s provided a playbook for getting things done,” former President Bill Clinton said as he presented the award. “We honor him today, not just for what he’s accomplished, but for the way he has done it.”
President Biden, standing next to his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton, joked, “This is what you call being trapped.”