A spokesperson said Thursday that "NIH initially exceeded its internal targets for contract reductions" in explaining the reversal days after cuts had been announced.

With the stroke of a pen, the NIH's largest and longest study of women's health lost its federal funding in another brutal cut by HHS -- and experts are worried about what losing this vital ongoing study will mean for the field of women's health research.

Following the Trump Administration’s mandate to cut $2.6 billion in NIH contracts, the Women’s Health Initiative shares HHS will close its regional centers in September.