April 2025

Stand with ASH and #Fight4Hematology

As the world’s largest professional society serving clinicians and scientists around the world who are working to conquer blood diseases, ASH is fighting for hematology in the face of executive orders and other federal actions that threaten hematologic research and, ultimately, the care of patients. ASH has created a new #Fight4Hematology Action Hub to keep you up-to-date on ASH's efforts and provide four easy ways you can get involved to protect the future of hematology research and advances in patient care. Together, we can drive meaningful change!

Proposed FY 26 HHS Budget Leaked

As the Trump administration continues its efforts to cut funding across all sectors of the federal government, a copy of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed FY26 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was leaked to the public. The document recommends slashing HHS’ overall discretionary funding to roughly $80.4 billion, down from the $116.8 billion enacted in the fiscal 2025 budget. This would result in more than a 30% budget cut for HHS, which also includes more than a 40% cut to both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Also included was a proposal to combine many institutes and centers in the NIH, including the consolidation of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases into a ‘body systems institute.’ The Trump administration is expected to officially release its FY26 budgetary outline request in late-April, with the full request released in mid-May. The President’s budget is the first step in the federal budget and appropriations process, with Congress and its appropriations committees being responsible for developing and approving funding bills.

As ASH continues to monitor the FY26 budget and appropriations process, it is more important now than ever for your elected officials to hear your voice. Visit the ASH Advocacy Center to quickly contact your Senators and Representative to help ensure that HHS and other important public health programs receive adequate funding in the upcoming fiscal year and beyond.

ASH Leads Nearly 100 Organizations in Calling for HHS to Immediately Restore CDC's Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics

ASH and 95 national and state organizations representing more than a million Americans living with or treating chronic and acute blood-related disorders sent a letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), urging him to fully restore the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics. Nearly all Blood Division staff were placed on administrative leave as part of the mass layoffs and restructuring announced at HHS, effectively dismantling this critical division that oversees key programs and activities that address chronic disease in the United States, including the Sickle Cell Data Collection Program, blood clot education and awareness efforts, and multidisciplinary efforts to provide educational information on thalassemia for patients and providers. The CDC’s hemophilia programs drive critical life- and cost-saving advances in care and prevention for people with bleeding disorders, and support blood and blood product safety monitoring activities of national importance. ASH also shared the letter with other key leaders in the House and Senate.

ASH Joins Healthcare Organizations on Letter Urging the AMA to Take Action and Protect Medicaid

Medicaid is a critical healthcare program funded by the state and federal government that provides healthcare coverage for approximately 80 million Americans, including children, low-income families, pregnant individuals, people with disabilities and seniors. Recently, legislators have called for policies that reduce federal spending, including potential cuts to the Medicaid program. ASH joined a letter alongside health care organizations and delegations within the American Medical Association's (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) to urge the AMA to use their respected voice among policy makers to protect the Medicaid program and reinforce the importance of this program to ensure access to care for all Americans.

ASH Sends Letter to FDA re Draft Guidance on Artificial Intelligence

On April 9, ASH submitted a comment letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding provisions in their draft guidance Considerations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence to Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Drug and Biological Products.The Society expressed its support for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the health care system and in the field of hematology and provided recommendations to strengthen the foundation and build guardrails around AI models. The Society encouraged the FDA to include guidance on transparency, AI adaptability, and special considerations for rare diseases in their final draft.