American Cures Act

Richard J. Durbin

Democrat · IL · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)Original· 2026-05-12
• Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)Original· 2026-05-12
• Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)Original· 2026-05-12

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S2239)

2026-05-12

Source: Congress.gov

American Cures Act This bill permanently funds several federal agencies and programs that perform biomedical research. The bill provides specified funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense health program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program. The bill exempts the funding from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals. It also exempts the budgetary effects of the funding from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010 and the Senate PAYGO rule.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4494 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4494 To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 12, 2026 Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Van Hollen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``American Cures Act''. SEC. 2. APPROPRIATIONS FOR INNOVATION. (a) In General.--There are hereby authorized to be appropriated, and appropriated, out of any monies in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the following: (1) National institutes of health.--For the National Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services-- (A) for fiscal year 2027, $52,467,132,000; (B) for fiscal year 2028, $56,507,101,164; (C) for fiscal year 2029, $60,858,147,954; (D) for fiscal year 2030, $65,544,225,346; (E) for fiscal year 2031, $70,591,130,698; (F) for fiscal year 2032, $76,026,647,762; (G) for fiscal year 2033, $81,880,699,640; (H) for fiscal year 2034, $88,185,513,512; (I) for fiscal year 2035, $94,975,798,052; (J) for fiscal year 2036, $102,288,934,502; and (K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any), during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2) Centers for disease control and prevention.--For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Department of Health and Human Services-- (A) for fiscal year 2027,$ 9,911,621,307; (B) for fiscal year 2028, $10,674,816,148; (C) for fiscal year 2029, $11,496,776,991; (D) for fiscal year 2030, $12,382,028,819; (E) for fiscal year 2031, $13,335,445,038; (F) for fiscal year 2032, $14,362,274,306; (G) for fiscal year 2033, $15,468,169,428; (H) for fiscal year 2034, $16,659,218,474; (I) for fiscal year 2035, $17,941,978,296; (J) for fiscal year 2036, $19,323,510,625; and (K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any), during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (3) Research, development, test, and evaluation program of the department of defense health program.--For the research, development, test, and evaluation program of the Department of Defense health program-- (A) for fiscal year 2027, $2,939,358,093; (B) for fiscal year 2028, $3,165,688,666; (C) for fiscal year 2029, $3,409,451,694; (D) for fiscal year 2030, $3,671,979,474; (E) for fiscal year 2031, $3,954,721,894; (F) for fiscal year 2032, $4,259,235,480; (G) for fiscal year 2033, $4,587,196,612; (H) for fiscal year 2034, $4,940,412,751; (I) for fiscal year 2035, $5,320,824,534; (J) for fiscal year 2036, $5,730,508,023; and (K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any), during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (4) Medical and prosthetics research program of the department of veterans affairs.--For the medical and prosthetics research program of the Department of Veterans Affairs-- (A) for fiscal year 2027, $1,071,765,000; (B) for fiscal year 2028, $1,096,132,905; (C) for fiscal year 2029, $1,180,535,138; (D) for fiscal year 2030, $1,271,436,344; (E) for fiscal…

year 2031, $1,369,336,942; (F) for fiscal year 2032, $1,474,775,887; (G) for fiscal year 2033, $1,588,333,630; (H) for fiscal year 2034, $1,710,636,320; (I) for fiscal year 2035, $1,842,355,321; (J) for fiscal year 2036, $1,984,218,681; and (K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any), during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under subsection (a) shall remain available until expended. (c) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Centers for disease control and prevention.--The term ``Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'' means the appropriations accounts that support the various institutes, offices, and centers that make up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2) Research, development, test, and evaluation program of the department of defense health program.--The term ``research, development, test, and evaluation program of the Department of Defense health program'' means the appropriations accounts that support the various institutes, offices, and centers that make up the research, development, test, and evaluation program of the Department of Defense health program. (3) Medical and prosthetics research program of the department of veterans affairs.--The term ``medical and prosthetics research program of the Department of Veterans Affairs'' means the appropriations accounts that support the various institutes, offices, and centers that make up the medical and prosthetics research program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. (4) National institutes of health.--The term ``National Institutes of Health'' means the appropriations accounts that support the various institutes, offices, and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health. (d) Exemption of Certain Appropriations From Sequestration.-- (1) In general.--Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``Advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund and Other Funds (16-0327-0-1-600).'' the following: ``Appropriations under the American Cures Act.''. (2) Applicability.--The amendment made by this section shall apply to any sequestration order issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this Act. (e) Budgetary Effects.-- (1) Statutory paygo scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this section shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As- You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(d)). (2) Senate paygo scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this section shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section 4106 of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th Congress). <all>

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