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American Cures Act

To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research.

Introduced May 12, 2026

Latest action (May 12, 2026) Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S2239)

Policy area
Issues
Healthcare

Summary

This bill appropriates funding for biomedical research at four federal agencies from fiscal year 2027 through 2037 and beyond. The bill authorizes approximately $52.5 billion annually for the National Institutes of Health, $9.9 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $2.9 billion for the Department of Defense health research program, and $1.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program in fiscal year 2027. The funding amounts increase annually based on inflation adjustments through 2037, after which they continue to increase by the Consumer Price Index annually. The bill exempts these appropriations from sequestration and excludes them from budget offset requirements.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Richard J. Durbin’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • SIMMONS HANLY CONROY LLC $19,133
  • THE GORI LAW FIRM $18,300
  • CLIFFORD LAW OFFICES PC $17,750
  • POWER ROGERS & SMITH LLP $17,300
  • MAUNE RAICHLE HARTLEY FRENCH & MUDD $14,638

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Richard J. Durbin → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

  1. May 12, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S2239) · senate
  2. May 12, 2026 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

  • Introduced in Senate · May 12, 2026

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

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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