S. 4494 – A bill to prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment…

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Updated May 14, 2026 at 2:53 AM UTC

The American Cures Act directs the federal government to increase and protect funding for biomedical research. It sets specific dollar amounts for 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 from fiscal year 2027 through 2037, with future years adjusted for inflation. The money must be spent on research and remains available until used, and the appropriations are shielded from budget cuts under sequestration and PAYGO rules.

Key Provisions

Appropriates $52.5 billion for NIH in FY2027, rising each year to $102.3 billion in FY2036, with FY2037 and later amounts tied to the previous year’s CPI increase.
Appropriates $9.9 billion for CDC in FY2027, increasing each year to $19.3 billion in FY2036, with later years adjusted for CPI.
Appropriates $2.94 billion for the DoD health research, development, test, and evaluation program in FY2027, growing to $5.73 billion in FY2036, with CPI adjustments thereafter.
Appropriates $1.07 billion for VA medical and prosthetics research in FY2027, rising to $1.98 billion in FY2036, with future amounts indexed to CPI.
All appropriated funds remain available until expended.
The appropriations are exempt from sequestration cuts under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act.
The funding impacts are excluded from statutory and Senate PAYGO scorecards.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

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

Appropriations Committee

May 12, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

May 12, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

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

Appropriations Committee

May 12, 2026

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 4494 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Sen. John CornynR-TX · May 12, 2026

Mr. President, on another matter, I am introducing a bill called the Barring American Citizenship by Keeping Out Foreign Fraudsters or the BACK OFF Act. This bill is designed to address a problem…

Mr. President, on another matter, I am introducing a bill

called the Barring American Citizenship by Keeping Out Foreign Fraudsters or the BACK OFF Act. This bill is designed to address a problem that has been festering in our country for some time, and that is the crime of birth tourism.

In the United States, we grant citizenship to virtually everyone born on U.S. soil except for children born to diplomats and a few other categories. And indeed, there is a case now pending in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine what the breadth and depth of what that birthright citizenship should look like under the Constitution.

But America is one of the few countries to allow individuals to obtain citizenship at birth regardless of parentage or immigration status, and our generosity was never meant to be exploited by our adversaries.

You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that some of these individuals may even use this cover of citizenship in order to engage in espionage against the United States, indeed, especially the People's Republic of China.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, more than 30,000 births in the United States each year are to women on tourist visas, while many more are born to women who are here illegally or people who simply overstay their temporary visa.

Worse, entire cottage industries have sprung up over the past several decades designed to actually help facilitate foreign nationals to visit the United States on a temporary basis solely to obtain the coveted privilege of U.S. citizenship for their children.

In 2020, a report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found that several companies--these are businesses-- several companies existed to assist individuals trying to exploit America's generosity in this regard. One such company, Ada International, worked largely with Chinese individuals while another was known as Miami Mama, which specialized in helping Russian nationals secure U.S. citizenship for their children.

When we start to see foreign nationals securing U.S. citizenship for their children but with no intention of staying here or actually assimilating into our society and pledging allegiance to our Constitution and laws, it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong.

Citizenship in this country, the greatest country in the world, is a great privilege. And the practice of birth tourism undermines what it means to be an American.

This is why I am introducing the BACK OFF Act which will make aliens involved in birth tourism inadmissible and deportable from the United States.

This bill would also require the Department of Homeland Security to detain aliens who commit crimes related to birth tourism. It would require anyone engaged in this practice who entered the United States from Mexico or Canada to return to those countries for legal proceedings while they are pending, which would prevent them from actually giving birth here in the United States while they await the decision of their case.

And it would also prevent people from using the Biden-era Visa Waiver Program to give birth in U.S. territories. This legislation would create new criminal penalties and enforcement actions against those running birth tourism rings, including new criminal penalties under the Immigration and Nationality Act for those who facilitate this practice.

Finally, it would create a task force to investigate and refer cases to the Department of Justice for prosecution involving individuals and organizations that are involved in birth tourism schemes.

There is no greater privilege in the world than to be a citizen of this great country, and we must treat U.S. citizenship as such. But the practice of birth tourism trivializes this great privilege, and I hope the Senate will adopt my legislation to crack down on this atrocity.

Sen. Richard J. DurbinD-IL · May 12, 2026

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

Sen. Richard J. DurbinD-IL · May 12, 2026

Mr. 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 May 12, 2026

II

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 4494

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.

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 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).

A bill to prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research.

AI-Generated Summary

Key Provisions

Legislative Activity

Floor Debate

Bill Text