March 2026

ASH Committee on Government Affairs Members Visit Capitol Hill in Support of Research and Public Health Funding and Legislation Impacting Patient Access to Care

Following the ASH Committee on Government Affairs spring business meeting, members of the Committee visited Capitol Hill on Thursday, February 26, to urge Members of Congress to support funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Sickle Cell Data Collection program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ASH members also urged Members of Congress to support care for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) by cosponsoring the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act (S. 721/H.R. 5178) and to ensure that patients in hospice benefits have better access to palliative blood transfusions by cosponsoring the Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act (S. 1936).

ASH Joins Over 550 Organizations to Recommend Funding Increase for NIH in FY 2027

ASH recently joined over 550 organizations in endorsing the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 funding recommendation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The recommendation encourages lawmakers to provide at least $51.303 billion for NIH in FY 2027, which would represent a $4.087 billion or 8.7% increase over the agency’s current funding level. The statement also thanks lawmakers for their long-standing bipartisan support of NIH and emphasizes the benefits that medical research offers patients.

With the FY 2027 budget process already underway, 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.

Coalition Releases Report on Economic Impact of NIH Funding

On March 10, United for Medical Research (UMR), a coalition of organizations including ASH that seek strong and sustainable increases in funding for NIH, released the 2026 update of its annual report examining the economic impact of NIH research funding. According to the report, the funding awarded to researchers across all 50 states and the District of Columbia in F) 2025 supported 390,863 jobs and generated $94.15 billion in new economic activity nationwide. The analysis found that every $1 invested in NIH research funding produced $2.57 in economic activity. Data from the report for individual states is included in the state NIH fact sheets on the ASH website.

NIH Director Testifies at House Appropriations Committee Hearing

With fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding for all federal agencies except the Department of Homeland Security now finalized, Congress has quickly turned its attention to the FY 2027 appropriations process. On March 17, the House Appropriations Committee held an oversight hearing where National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, MPH, PhD, testified.

With the White House’s 2027 budget request expected later this month, both Republicans and Democrats on the committee were united in their support for NIH funding. Republican committee members questioned Dr. Bhattacharya about how he plans to regain public trust after the COVID-19 pandemic and also encouraged him to continue his initiative to ensure greater “geographic balance“ in the distribution of grant funding. Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) expressed dissatisfaction with the disruption in scientific research at NIH due to forward funding and the cancellation of DEI-related grants.

Committee members also pressed the Director on the recent slow rollout of grant funds. In response, Dr. Bhattacharya announced that the Trump Administration had finally approved a plan for NIH to spend its appropriated FY 2026 funds. The approval comes weeks after the Administration missed the 30-day legal deadline to release the funding and raised alarm among researchers that the administration would try to claw back funding.

ASH Joins Nearly 260 Organizations to Support at Least $500 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in FY 2027

On March 2, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) joined 262 organizations in sending a letter to congressional appropriators urging at least $500 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for fiscal year (FY) 2027. The letter highlights AHRQ’s essential role in health services and primary care research, improving access, quality, safety, and value in U.S. health care, and calls for adequate staffing to fulfill its mission.

ASH Signs on to Children's FY 2027 PRI Appropriations Request Letter

On March 5, ASH and 50 other organizations signed on to a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to urge Congress to provide the funding needed to improve Pediatric Reference Intervals (PRIs) and ensure quality and equitable care for our country’s children. The letter asks Congress to appropriate an additional $10 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Environmental Health Laboratory fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget to fund this important initiative.

ASH Joins Statement of Support for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) 2026 Immunization Schedule

On February 25, ASH joined over 230 organizations in support of the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule. This action reflects ASH’s continued commitment to evidence-based immunization policies and to advocating for the protection of immunocompromised patients with hematologic conditions.

ASH Supports Court Decision Reinforcing Evidence-Based Immunization Policies

On March 14, a federal court temporarily blocked a plan by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to scale back routine childhood vaccine recommendations, finding he likely violated federal procedures in restructuring the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ruling pauses a January order affecting vaccines such as influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, certain meningitis strains, and RSV, and also halts a scheduled meeting of the newly appointed ACIP. The decision, in favor of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and supported by ASH, reinforces the importance of maintaining evidence-based immunization policies. ASH remains committed to evidence-based immunization policies and to advocating for the protection of immunocompromised patients with hematologic conditions. Read more here.

ASH and Sickle Cell Disease Stakeholders Call on SSA to Revise Sickle Cell Disability Evaluations

Following the recent publication of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report on Sickle Cell Disease in Social Security Evaluations, ASH and other sickle cell stakeholder groups sent a letter to the Social Security Administration (SSA) urging updates to disability evaluation policies for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The letter highlights the NASEM report; urges SSA to revise the adult and child Medical Listings of Impairments for SCD to accord with findings in the report; and emphasized the need for the agency to define and establish SCD as a disabling Compassionate Allowance condition to speed disability decisions for those with severe SCD symptoms.