S. 4879 – American Cures Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 6:18 PM UTC

The American Cures Act sets aside a growing, multi‑year budget to boost federal biomedical research. It directs large, annually increasing appropriations to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense health research program, and the Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program. The money is to be used for research, development, testing, and evaluation and stays available until spent.

Key Provisions

Appropriates $52.5 billion for NIH in FY2025, rising each year to $104.9 billion in FY2034, with future years adjusted for inflation (CPI).
Appropriates $9.96 billion for CDC in FY2025, increasing each year to $19.9 billion in FY2034, with later years indexed to CPI.
Provides $3.55 billion for the DoD health research program in FY2025, growing each year to $7.1 billion in FY2034, with CPI adjustments thereafter.
Allocates $1.018 billion for VA medical and prosthetics research in FY2025, rising to $2.035 billion in FY2034, with future amounts tied to CPI.
All appropriated funds remain available until expended.
Exempts these appropriations from any sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S5685)

Appropriations Committee

July 31, 2024

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

July 31, 2024

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S5685)

Appropriations Committee

July 31, 2024

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 4879 on the floor

2 Democrats

Sen. Jack ReedD-RI · Jul 31, 2024

Madam President, today, I am joining Senator Capito to introduce the Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act of 2024 in order to improve access to needed therapies for children. Children are not just small…

Madam President, today, I am joining Senator Capito to introduce the Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act of 2024 in order to improve access to needed therapies for children.

Children are not just small adults. Drugs affect their developing bodies differently, so new treatments need to be studied carefully to ensure that they are appropriately prescribed and that dosages are properly adjusted. Additionally, drugs that are designed to treat a specific condition in adults may have enormous benefits in treating completely different illnesses in kids, but research is needed to unlock these potentially lifesaving possibilities.

Unfortunately, drug development still leaves children behind. The legislation we are introducing today would help speed therapies to children who need them by making needed changes to the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act BPCA, and the Pediatric Research Equity Act, PREA--two laws that encourage and require the study of drugs in children.

Data resulting from BPCA and PREA studies are added to drug labels to give parents and providers essential information on the safety and efficacy of drugs used in children. I was proud to have helped author these laws when I

was a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. While we have made tremendous progress in advancing treatments for children because of these laws, there are gaps. For example, there is a loophole in PREA that exempts drug companies from pediatric study requirements when the treatment would only be used for a rare pediatric condition.

There are close to 7,000 rare diseases without appropriate treatments, and the vast majority of these diseases affect children as well as adults. But in developing new drugs also known as orphan drugs to treat rare diseases, pharmaceutical developers focus their research on adult patients only since they are not required study their impact on children.

And since the majority of new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA are orphan drugs, this means that the majority of newly approved drugs have not been studied for their impacts on kids. This leaves doctors, parents, and sick kids in the dark about the best possible treatments. Our bill closes this loophole to require studies for children so that they, too, can benefit from new and innovative treatments for rare diseases.

In addition to this change, the Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act would invest in pediatric studies of older, off-patent drugs. The FDA incentives and requirements under BPCA and PREA work for many newer drugs but unfortunately cannot help encourage studies of older drugs. For this reason, in 2002, Congress authorized a program which funds the National Institutes of Health to conduct studies of off-patent drugs used in children that would never be completed otherwise. Drug studies are expensive, and costs have only increased since then, but the program has been flat-funded at $25 million since it was created more than 20 years ago. Our legislation would increase the authorization for the BPCA NIH program to ensure we have better data about older drugs to treat diseases in children.

Lastly, the Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act would give FDA the authority it needs to ensure that legally required pediatric studies are completed in a timely manner. Due dates for studies required by PREA are typically deferred by FDA until after the approval of the drug for adults, but, FDA has no effective enforcement tools to ensure that these studies are completed on time--or at all.

I am pleased to be working with my colleague Senator Capito on pediatric health issues. We have worked closely for many years on pediatric cancer, first authoring the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research, STAR Act in 2015. That bill was signed into law in 2018, and we worked to fully fund the law every year since.

I look forward to working with her as well as the sponsors of the House companion legislation, Representatives Anna Eshoo and Michael McCaul to move the Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act forward, to give children and their families more options for treatments.

Sen. Richard J. DurbinD-IL · Jul 31, 2024

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Sen. Richard J. DurbinD-IL · Jul 31, 2024

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued July 31, 2024

II

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 4879

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 31, 2024

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Van Hollen, and Mr. Brown) 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.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the American Cures Act.

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 2025, $52,468,000,000;

(B)

for fiscal year 2026, $56,665,000,000;

(C)

for fiscal year 2027, $61,198,000,000;

(D)

for fiscal year 2028, $66,094,000,000;

(E)

for fiscal year 2029, $71,382,000,000;

(F)

for fiscal year 2030, $77,093,000,000;

(G)

for fiscal year 2031, $83,260,000,000;

(H)

for fiscal year 2032, $89,921,000,000;

(I)

for fiscal year 2033, $97,115,000,000;

(J)

for fiscal year 2034, $104,884,000,000; and

(K)

for fiscal year 2035 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 2025, $9,960,000,000;

(B)

for fiscal year 2026, $10,757,000,000;

(C)

for fiscal year 2027, $11,618,000,000;

(D)

for fiscal year 2028, $12,547,000,000;

(E)

for fiscal year 2029, $13,551,000,000;

(F)

for fiscal year 2030, $14,635,000,000;

(G)

for fiscal year 2031, $15,806,000,000;

(H)

for fiscal year 2032, $17,070,000,000;

(I)

for fiscal year 2033, $18,436,000,000;

(J)

for fiscal year 2034, $19,911,000,000; and

(K)

for fiscal year 2035 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 2025, $3,550,000,000;

(B)

for fiscal year 2026, $3,834,000,000;

(C)

for fiscal year 2027, $4,141,000,000;

(D)

for fiscal year 2028, $4,472,000,000;

(E)

for fiscal year 2029, $4,830,000,000;

(F)

for fiscal year 2030, $5,216,000,000;

(G)

for fiscal year 2031, $5,633,000,000;

(H)

for fiscal year 2032, $6,084,000,000;

(I)

for fiscal year 2033, $6,571,000,000;

(J)

for fiscal year 2034, $7,096,000,000; and

(K)

for fiscal year 2035 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 2025, $1,018,000,000;

(B)

for fiscal year 2026, $1,099,000,000;

(C)

for fiscal year 2027, $1,187,000,000;

(D)

for fiscal year 2028, $1,282,000,000;

(E)

for fiscal year 2029, $1,385,000,000;

(F)

for fiscal year 2030, $1,496,000,000;

(G)

for fiscal year 2031, $1,616,000,000;

(H)

for fiscal year 2032, $1,745,000,000;

(I)

for fiscal year 2033, $1,885,000,000;

(J)

for fiscal year 2034, $2,035,000,000; and

(K)

for fiscal year 2035 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).