February 2026

Congress Finalizes FY 2026 Spending for NIH with Start of FY 2027 Budget Process on Horizon

In early February, Congress passed a final fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding package for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies that includes a modest increase in funding for NIH, bringing total funding for the agency to approximately $48.7 billion.

Also in early February, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing titled “Modernizing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Faster Discoveries, More Cures.” National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, testified before the committee as lawmakers discussed the NIH grant review processes, oversight and transparency, and strategies to maintain public trust in biomedical research. The discussion also addressed key NIH policy issues, including multi-year funding. A recording of the hearing is available of the HELP Committee website.

With the President’s FY 2027 budget request expected sometime in March, members of Congress will soon turn their attention to FY 2027 appropriations bills. Advocacy now is critical. Decisions made in the coming months will determine whether NIH will have the resources it needs to advance medical research and sustain U.S. leadership in science and innovation. Make your voice heard. Visit the ASH website to take action and send a message to your elected officials urging Congress to support the highest possible funding level for NIH in FY 2027. Your voice will help to reinforce the importance of strong, timely federal investment in medical research. Scientists, clinicians, and, most especially, patients, depend on it.

ASH Signs Statement in Support of AAP Action Versus HHS to Halt Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Meeting & Restore Immunization Schedule

On February 13, ASH joined over 70 organizations in support of the Plaintiffs in American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) et al. V. Kennedy Jr., et al. The plaintiffs’ suit, representing health care clinicians, public health, older adults, patients, family caregivers, consumers, physicians, and other health care providers, asks the court to both stay (i.e., halt) the February Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)meeting and reverse changes made to the childhood immunization schedule.

This action is part of ASH's ongoing efforts to support evidence-based immunization policies and to advocate for immunocompromised patients with hematologic conditions.

ASH-Endorsed Congressional Letter Urges H-1B Visa Fee Exception for Health Care

ASH endorsed a February 11 letter led by Representatives Michael Lawler (R-NY) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, urging the department to provide an exemption for the hospital and health care sector from the $100,000 fee for filing new H-1B visa petitions. The letter was sent in response to the September 2025 presidential proclamation, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” which imposed a $100,000 H-1B visa filing fee on all American. The bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary Noem was signed by 100 members of Congress and endorsed by 40 organizations.

Last September, ASH, alongside over 50 stakeholder organizations, sent a letter to Secretary Noem urging clarification of the guidelines that determine H-1B entry into the U.S. and the exemption of physicians from the proclamation. ASH also signed on to a letter coordinated by the Medical and Public Health Laboratory Workforce Coalition in October 2025 requesting that the DHS provide a “national interest” exemption to pathologists and medical and public health laboratory professionals from the $100,000 H-1B fee.

ASH Submits Statement to Senate Special Committee on Aging on Impact of Administrative and Regulatory Burdens on Medicine

In mid-February, ASH submitted a statement to the Senate Special Committee on Aging and thanked them for holding a hearing to examine the impact of administrative and regulatory burdens on physician burnout, workforce shortages, and access to care for aging adults. In the statement, ASH urged Congress to pursue policies that stabilize and strengthen the physician workforce by ensuring predictable, inflation-adjusted Medicare payment updates, reducing unnecessary administrative burden, and modernizing statutory constraints that limit care delivery innovation.

ASH Joins Effort to Work with Social Security Administration on Revisions to Social Security Disability Evaluations

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published, Sickle Cell Disease in Social Security Evaluations to address best practices and community experiences in the management and treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). As a follow-up to the release of the report, ASH joined other organizations in sending a letter to the Social Security Administration urging updates to the adult and child Medical Listing of Impairments and the designation of SCD as a compassionate allowance condition. The group emphasized the need for disability evaluations that accurately reflect disease severity and improve timeliness and fairness for individuals living with severe SCD.

Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities Extended Through December 31, 2027

On February 3, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which included several digital health provisions including an extension of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities. These flexibilities include waiving geographic restrictions, expanding eligible providers, and allowing coverage for audio only telehealth services. ASH is pleased with the recent support for telehealth flexibilities and believes the multi-year extension will allow for greater continuity of care. ASH will continue to monitor telehealth policies and continue advocating for a focus on more permanent or long-term telehealth policies.

ASH Releases New Guidelines on Diagnosis of Light Chain Amyloidosis

On January 27, ASH released Guidelines on the diagnosis of light chain (AL) amyloidosis. The guidelines, published in Blood Advances aim to improve and accelerate diagnosis for individuals living with the disorder.

ASH Releases New Guidelines on Frontline Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

On February 11, ASH released guidelines on frontline acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Published in Blood Advances, the guidelines are intended to standardize and enhance frontline care for adolescents and young adults with ALL.