California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he will include funding to expand access to menopause care in next year’s state budget, one day after actress Halle Berry sharply criticized him at the New York Times’ Dealbook Summit in New York, as reported by The New York Post.
Berry accused Newsom of “overlooking” and “devaluing” women by vetoing menopause-related legislation two years in a row.
Berry’s remarks drew significant attention at the event, where she said the governor “probably should not be our next president” because of the vetoes.
“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” Berry said. “But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.”
When Newsom was approached Thursday by TMZ, he said, “Actually, I was just connected with her manager. We have the ability to reconcile that, so we’re reconciling.”
He confirmed that he plans to include menopause funding in the upcoming budget, saying, “I’ve included it in the budget next year.”
Newsom suggested Berry’s criticism resulted from a misunderstanding of his plans regarding the bill. “She didn’t know,” he said. “They didn’t understand we were already in the process of fixing it, so we’re getting it fixed.”
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The legislation Berry supported would require health care plans to offer recommendations for menopause-related treatments and mandate additional training for health care providers in menopause care.
Newsom previously vetoed the bill over concerns that it would “unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women already stretched thin,” according to a spokesperson for his office.
The governor’s office confirmed that Newsom intends to include a proposal addressing expanded menopause care in the state budget on January 10.
“The Governor remains committed to fixing this issue – and we’ve been doing that work in real time,” a spokesperson told The Post.
Berry prefaced her comments on Wednesday with, “At this stage in my life, I have zero f–ks left to give,” before turning to California’s legislative battle over menopause coverage.
Her comments added renewed scrutiny to Newsom, who acknowledged in October that he is considering a 2028 presidential run. His term as governor ends in 2026.
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