In the Oval Office on Thursday, President Donald Trump rolled out a two-part initiative to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), announcing new federal guidance that lets employers offer IVF as a stand-alone benefit and a pricing deal to sharply cut costs on leading fertility drugs.
Alongside Alabama U.S. Senator Katie Britt and the nation’s top health officials, Trump said the directive is “the boldest and most significant actions ever taken by any president to bring the miracle of life into more American homes.”
“And I will say: Katie was great. As you know, she’s a great senator from Alabama. She’s the first one that told me about this. I had not known too much about it, and we worked very rapidly together,” Trump said. “We had everything passed, and Alabama then took care of it and passed it within a week. Everything was done. Really, it was something. So, I want to thank Katie Britt. There’s no deeper happiness and joy of raising children, and now, millions of Americans struggling with infertility will have a new chance to share the greatest experience of them all.”
Senator Britt’s advocacy of IVF dates back to an Alabama Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling that effectively ordered that frozen embryos can be treated as children. As previously reported, her counsel led President Trump to immediate action.
State leaders quickly passed and Governor Kay Ivey signed protections to keep IVF available. In Washington, Britt later teamed with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on the IVF Protection Act to protect access nationwide, which Democrats opposed, before being signed into law by President Trump.
Britt, speaking immediately after President Trump from the Oval Office, framed the moment squarely as a pro-family milestone and credited him for personally driving it over the finish line.
“I want to start by thanking President Trump. Sir, from the very first phone call we ever had. Your support was strong. It was steadfast. It was unwavering. And because of you, millions of Americans are going to have a greater opportunity to bring the greatest gift, in my opinion — life — into this world. Your support, your administration, support. It’s a game changer,” Britt (R-Montgomery) said.
As per Thursday’s announcement, effective immediately, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Treasury, and HHS will issue guidance allowing companies to offer supplemental fertility coverage employees can opt into similar to dental or vision plans. However, the guidance does not mandate coverage.
Trump said the administration reached an agreement with EMD Serono to post steeply discounted IVF medications on a new platform, TrumpRx.gov, and to seek FDA fast-track review of Pergoveris, a combination therapy widely used overseas.
Company leaders also committed to “massive discounts” on core IVF medicines as part of a broader “most-favored-nation” pricing framework.
“All of us here today are aligned. This is a celebration of life. It’s a celebration of parents. It’s a celebration of families, and it’s a celebration for those people who want to one day be parents themselves. I think every parents can can attest, and I certainly do myself, that the greatest gift that God has ever given me is the ability to be a mom,” Senator Britt said.
“We want more people to have that opportunity, we want to make that easier and more affordable. IVF is what makes the difference for so many families that are facing infertility. So you’ve seen the numbers, it’s either one in eight couples, or some people say as much as one in six are actually experiencing issues with fertility. It’s 9% of males and at least 11% of females that are facing these challenges as they work to build their family. The recommendations today that President Trump has set forth are going to expand IVF coverage to nearly a million more families, and they’re going to drive down cost significantly, Mr. President, this is the most pro IVF thing that any President and the history of the United States of America has done.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
