Diana DeGette · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for Als Reauthorization Act of 2026

2026-07-20

“I support this bill. It spends money to research ALS treatments. ALS is a bad disease. It killed my father-in-law. I want this bill to pass so the government can spend more on research. I want patients to get new treatments. I want to thank my colleague for his work on this bill. His work is saving lives.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS every year. It is a disease that causes the nervous system to stop working and die, leading to muscle weakness and eventually paralysis. Essentially, when someone gets the diagnosis, it is a death sentence. I am all too familiar with this disease and its rapid progression because in 1996, I lost my father-in-law to ALS. The original Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act passed in 2021 and unleashed incredible Federal resources to improve our understanding of this relentless disease in search of a cure. It revolutionized the way FDA uses real-world evidence to foster the development of ALS therapeutics and gave patients a chance to try investigational drugs for rare neurodegenerative diseases. We have the opportunity today to ensure ALS patients can continue to access promising new therapies, and our preeminent biomedical research institutions can continue to work towards a cure. This reauthorization will provide the continuing statutory basis for the great work that the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act began, and it couldn't come at a better moment. We have seen immense research progress in the 5 years since passage. Health Subcommittee members here today heard from Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya in our hearing on this bill a few months ago when they told us with no uncertainty how important it is for people facing down this cruel disease that we keep this momentum going. Brian and Sandra are an inspiration to all of us and to people everywhere who are seeking cures for these terrible diseases. I want to tell Congressman Mike Quigley that his unwavering leadership on the original Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act and this reauthorization is saving and improving lives. I thank them for putting us on the path of finding a cure for ALS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), who is the sponsor of this bill.

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House of Representatives

NIH Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone Act

2026-07-20

“Women die from pregnancy in America. It is worse for Black women. That is bad. My bill will spend money to study this. We need to fix this problem. I thank my colleagues. We must pass this bill. No mother should die.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, shockingly, the U.S. has the highest rate of maternal mortality among developed nations in this entire world. What is worse is that the mortality rates for women of color are exponentially higher than those of the general population. Black women die from pregnancy- related causes at rates at least three times those of White women, and that is irrespective of socioeconomic status or income. It is appalling that this statistic has emerged from data collection by State maternal mortality review committees. Congress affirmed its support for these committees in February by reauthorizing my bill, the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act. Thanks to this enduring bipartisan commitment, we have identified the problem, that 649 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. in 2024. Now that we have identified the problem, we need to work together to solve it. Mr. Speaker, 80 to 84 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The IMPROVE Initiative at NIH investigates the leading cause of these deaths, supports the development of interventions to prevent them, and importantly identifies factors that contribute to disparities in maternal health. We must not let this critical program lapse. I thank Representatives Underwood and Fitzpatrick for their undying and wonderful leadership on this bill, as well as my friend and colleague Robin Kelly, who has been a leader on this issue for more than a decade. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join us in passing the bill today because no pregnancy-related death is acceptable in the richest nation in the world. I reserve the balance of my time.

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House of Representatives

Deondra Dixon Include Project Act of 2025

2026-07-20

“I talk to support my bill. It will make the government spend money on Down syndrome research. Some people with Down syndrome have other diseases too. The research might help those other diseases. A research center in my district gets money for this. The last Congress supported this bill. I have a friend who likes this bill. I want this Congress to pass the bill. I want more government spending on this research. You should support it.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, my bill with Representative Hudson, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, codifies the renaissance in Down syndrome research at NIH that was kicked off when the INCLUDE Project began in 2018. This bill sustains and encourages this critical research. After being left behind by NIH for nearly 20 years, the Down syndrome community is finally seeing research advancements that will extend and improve their lives. What we learn from this research will not only help us better understand Down syndrome but also heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, and many co-occurring conditions. I am so proud that much of this work is happening right in my home district of Denver, Colorado. The Crnic Institute for Down syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus leads more than 200 scientists at the largest Down syndrome research facility in the world. They see incredible breakthroughs every day. This type of innovation puts science first and benefits not only individuals living with Down syndrome and their families but every single one of us because we are learning more and more about disease biology and just why some conditions work differently in people with Down syndrome. It is why the bill passed the House last Congress with unanimous support. I am so happy that I was able to work for many years with my friend, the former chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, on this bill in the last Congress. I know it is a labor of love and deeply personal for her family and every family that has been touched by Down syndrome. It has been an honor to also work with my constituent, Michelle Sie Whitten, the president of the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, a driving force for this bill, and a fierce advocate for her daughter and everyone with Down syndrome. It has also been an honor to work with my friend and colleague Representative Hudson, whose dedication to the Down syndrome community has been essential to push this bill closer to the finish line. I simply could not have had a better partner on this issue. The INCLUDE Project Act will ensure that critical Down syndrome research continues to advance. This year, it must finally be enacted into law. I urge my colleagues to join Representative Hudson and me to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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House of Representatives

Early Act Reauthorization of 2025

2026-07-20

“I want this bill to pass. Breast cancer is a big problem. 321,000 new cases and 42,000 deaths this year. Women under 50 get breast cancer too. Early detection is very important. Women have better survival rates when breast cancer is detected early. The EARLY Act raises awareness and educates about breast cancer. I want to keep spending money on it.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4541, the EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women, with 321,000 new cases and 42,000 projected deaths just this year alone. While breast cancer is often thought of as affecting older women, younger women are often diagnosed too late, where treatment options are more limited and, frankly, outcomes are worse. Approximately 16 percent of all new breast cancer cases occur in women under the age of 50. The importance of early detection simply cannot be overstated. Women diagnosed at an early stage have survival rates exceeding 99 percent. However, that number can fall to 30 percent when breast cancer is detected at later stages. Despite these realities, younger women between the ages of 25 and 40 continue to face disproportionately high rates of aggressive breast cancers. The EARLY Act has helped drive national progress in breast cancer awareness, education, and prevention. H.R. 4541 reauthorizes these critical efforts. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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