On June 28, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8774, the Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations bill. We are thrilled to report that the bill includes $10 million for the Lupus Research Program at the DOD!

This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Defense Subcommittee has supported $10 million for the Lupus Research Program, and if enacted into law, it would bring total funding for the Program to $75 million since the Program was established in 2017.

Since leading the effort to establish a lupus-specific research program through the DOD, securing continued funding for the Lupus Research Program has remained a top priority for the Lupus Foundation of America. Together with lupus advocates, we continue to highlight the importance of the Lupus Research Program to members of Congress.

We thank the Congressional Lupus Caucus and its co-chairs, Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Bill Keating (D-MA) for their leadership and for continuing to champion lupus priorities on Capitol Hill. Additionally, we sincerely appreciate the leadership of Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Ranking Member Betty McCollum (D-MN) as well as Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).

Next Steps

The legislation will now be sent to the Senate for its consideration.

Additionally, the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) is poised to advance its bill in July. The LHHS appropriations bill includes funding for the National Lupus Patient Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lupus program at the Office of Minority Health, and the National Institutes of Health, the largest public funder of lupus research in the world.

To stay updated on these critical pieces of legislation as they move forward, sign up as a lupus advocate.