House Committee Approves Funding for Federal Lupus Programs
Today, the House Appropriations Committee advanced their fiscal year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) spending bill that would provide critical funding for lupus research and education programs. This includes:
- $7.5 million for the National Lupus Patient Registry Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- A significant funding boost to a record $41.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest funder of lupus research. This represents a $2 billion increase from 2019 funding!
- $13.2 million increase above the President’s budget request for the Office of Minority Health (OMH) including the National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Program.
The Foundation and lupus advocates were instrumental not only in establishing the lupus programs at CDC and OMH, but also in securing continued funding. If enacted, the legislation would bring total funding for the Lupus Registry to more than $70 million and over $18 million for the Lupus Program at OMH.
We are grateful to our champions in the Congressional Lupus Caucus who lead our fight on Capitol Hill. We’re especially thankful to the Caucus Co-chairs, Representatives Bill Keating (D-MA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Peter King (R-NY).
Thank you to our national network of lupus advocates for contacting your representatives throughout the year, including the more than 350 lupus advocates who were in Washington, DC in March for the 2019 National Lupus Advocacy Summit, urging Congress to support funding for these lupus research and education programs. You are making a difference in the fight against lupus!
Next Steps
The Senate Appropriations Committee still needs to put together their version of the LHHS appropriations bill. Once the full House and full Senate have passed their versions of the LHHS bill, they will convene a conference committee to resolve the differences in the bills and prepare a version for final passage. Sign up to become a lupus advocate so you can receive the latest news from Capitol Hill and to know when your outreach to Congress can make the most difference.