American Cures Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4494
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-12: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S2239)
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-15T18:42:22Z
AI-Generated Summary
American Cures Act (S. 4494)
Purpose
The legislation aims to provide expanded and sustained federal funding for biomedical research by authorizing and directly appropriating increasing amounts to key health agencies, prioritizing long-term investment in medical innovation and disease prevention.
Key Provisions
- Direct Appropriations: Specifies exact funding levels for fiscal years (FY) 2027 through 2036, with automatic annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers starting FY 2037:
| Agency/Program | FY 2027 Amount | FY 2036 Amount | Notes | |----------------|----------------|----------------|-------| | National Institutes of Health (NIH) | $52.5 billion | $102.3 billion | Supports various NIH institutes, offices, and centers. | | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | $9.9 billion | $19.3 billion | Covers CDC's institutes, offices, and centers. | | DoD Health Program (Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation) | $2.9 billion | $5.7 billion | Funds DoD health-related R&D activities. | | VA Medical and Prosthetics Research | $1.1 billion | $2.0 billion | Supports VA's medical and prosthetics research programs. |
- Funds remain available until spent (not limited to one year).
- Defines terms to clarify that funding targets specific appropriations accounts within each agency.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Sequestration Exemption: Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) to exclude these funds from automatic spending cuts (sequestration) under future orders.
- PAYGO Exemption: Exempts the bill's costs from Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) scorecards and Senate budget enforcement rules, avoiding triggers for spending offsets.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Provides predictable, multi-year budget increases for NIH, CDC, DoD health programs, and VA research, enabling long-term planning and expanded biomedical projects.
- Citizens: Could accelerate medical breakthroughs, disease prevention, and treatments, benefiting public health; funded by taxpayers through general Treasury monies.
- No Direct International Relations Impact: Focuses on domestic research funding.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Agencies: NIH, CDC (HHS), DoD Health Program, VA Medical Research.
- Researchers and Institutions: Scientists, universities, and medical centers receiving grants.
- Patients and Public: Individuals with diseases targeted by biomedical research.
- Taxpayers and Economy: Bears costs but may gain from innovations (e.g., new drugs, vaccines).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Uses mandatory appropriations ("authorized to be appropriated, and appropriated"), bypassing annual discretionary process; exemptions shield funds from common budget controls like sequestration (automatic cuts) and PAYGO (pay-for-as-you-go rules requiring offsets).
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's power of the purse (Article I, Section 9) to control spending.
- Political: Signals bipartisan priority on science funding (introduced by Sens. Durbin, Blumenthal, Duckworth, Van Hollen); referred to Appropriations Committee; long-term commitments may constrain future budgets.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT], Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL], Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-12: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S2239)
- 2026-05-12: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- American Cures Act — issued 2026-05-12 — PDF (7 pages)