- Record: Senate Floor
- Section type: Legislation
- Chamber: Senate
- Date: May 12, 2026
- Congress: 119th Congress
- Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Duckworth, and
Mr. Van Hollen):
S. 4494. A bill to prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research; to the Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
- printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 4494
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “American Cures Act”.
SEC. 2. APPROPRIATIONS FOR INNOVATION.
(a) In General.—There are hereby authorized to be
appropriated, and appropriated, out of any monies in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the following:
(1) National institutes of health.—For the National
Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human
Services—
(A) for fiscal year 2027, $52,467,132,000;
(B) for fiscal year 2028, $56,507,101,164;
(C) for fiscal year 2029, $60,858,147,954;
(D) for fiscal year 2030, $65,544,225,346;
(E) for fiscal year 2031, $70,591,130,698;
(F) for fiscal year 2032, $76,026,647,762;
(G) for fiscal year 2033, $81,880,699,640;
(H) for fiscal year 2034, $88,185,513,512;
(I) for fiscal year 2035, $94,975,798,052;
(J) for fiscal year 2036, $102,288,934,502; and
(K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter,
the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous
fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any),
during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index
for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
(2) Centers for disease control and prevention.—For the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Department
of Health and Human Services—
(A) for fiscal year 2027,$ 9,911,621,307;
(B) for fiscal year 2028, $10,674,816,148;
(C) for fiscal year 2029, $11,496,776,991;
(D) for fiscal year 2030, $12,382,028,819;
(E) for fiscal year 2031, $13,335,445,038;
(F) for fiscal year 2032, $14,362,274,306;
(G) for fiscal year 2033, $15,468,169,428;
(H) for fiscal year 2034, $16,659,218,474;
(I) for fiscal year 2035, $17,941,978,296;
(J) for fiscal year 2036, $19,323,510,625; and
(K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter,
the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous
fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any),
during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index
for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
(3) Research, development, test, and evaluation program of
the department of defense health program.—For the research,
development, test, and evaluation program of the Department
of Defense health program—
(A) for fiscal year 2027, $2,939,358,093;
(B) for fiscal year 2028, $3,165,688,666;
(C) for fiscal year 2029, $3,409,451,694;
(D) for fiscal year 2030, $3,671,979,474;
(E) for fiscal year 2031, $3,954,721,894;
(F) for fiscal year 2032, $4,259,235,480;
(G) for fiscal year 2033, $4,587,196,612;
(H) for fiscal year 2034, $4,940,412,751;
(I) for fiscal year 2035, $5,320,824,534;
(J) for fiscal year 2036, $5,730,508,023; and
(K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter,
the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous
fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any),
during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index
for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
(4) Medical and prosthetics research program of the
department of veterans affairs.—For the medical and
prosthetics research program of the Department of Veterans
Affairs—
(A) for fiscal year 2027, $1,071,765,000;
(B) for fiscal year 2028, $1,096,132,905;
(C) for fiscal year 2029, $1,180,535,138;
(D) for fiscal year 2030, $1,271,436,344;
(E) for fiscal year 2031, $1,369,336,942;
(F) for fiscal year 2032, $1,474,775,887;
(G) for fiscal year 2033, $1,588,333,630;
(H) for fiscal year 2034, $1,710,636,320;
(I) for fiscal year 2035, $1,842,355,321;
(J) for fiscal year 2036, $1,984,218,681; and
(K) for fiscal year 2037 and each fiscal year thereafter,
the amount appropriated under this paragraph for the previous
fiscal year, increased by the percentage increase (if any),
during the previous fiscal year, in the Consumer Price Index
for all urban consumers published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
(b) Availability.—Amounts appropriated under subsection
(a) shall remain available until expended.
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Centers for disease control and prevention.—The term
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” means the
appropriations accounts that support the various institutes,
offices, and centers that make up the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
(2) Research, development, test, and evaluation program of
the department of defense health program.—The term
“research, development, test, and evaluation program of the
Department of Defense health program” means the
appropriations accounts that support the various institutes,
offices, and centers that make up the research, development,
test, and evaluation program of the Department of Defense
health program.
(3) Medical and prosthetics research program of the
department of veterans affairs.—The term “medical and
prosthetics research program of the Department of Veterans
Affairs” means the appropriations accounts that support the
various institutes, offices, and centers that make up the
medical and prosthetics research program of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
(4) National institutes of health.—The term “National
Institutes of Health” means the appropriations accounts that
support the various institutes, offices, and centers that
make up the National Institutes of Health.
(d) Exemption of Certain Appropriations From
Sequestration.—
(1) In general.—Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (2 U.S.C.
905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting after “Advances to the
Unemployment Trust Fund and Other Funds (16-0327-0-1-600).”
the following:
“Appropriations under the American Cures Act.”.
(2) Applicability.—The amendment made by this section
shall apply to any sequestration order issued under the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2
U.S.C. 900 et seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this
Act.
(e) Budgetary Effects.—
(1) Statutory paygo scorecards.—The budgetary effects of
this section shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard
maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As-
You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(d)).
(2) Senate paygo scorecards.—The budgetary effects of this
section shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard
maintained for purposes of section 4106 of H. Con. Res. 71
(115th Congress).
By Mr. CORNYN:
S. 4501. A bill to bar aliens from admission to the United States to give birth on United States soil or remaining in the United States to undermine the sovereignty of the United States through birth tourism; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, on another matter, I am introducing a bill
Fraudsters or the BACK OFF Act. This bill is designed to address a problem that has been festering in our country for some time, and that is the crime of birth tourism.
on U.S. soil except for children born to diplomats and a few other categories. And indeed, there is a case now pending in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine what the breadth and depth of what that birthright citizenship should look like under the Constitution.
obtain citizenship at birth regardless of parentage or immigration status, and our generosity was never meant to be exploited by our adversaries.
these individuals may even use this cover of citizenship in order to engage in espionage against the United States, indeed, especially the People's Republic of China.
births in the United States each year are to women on tourist visas, while many more are born to women who are here illegally or people who simply overstay their temporary visa.
decades designed to actually help facilitate foreign nationals to visit the United States on a temporary basis solely to obtain the coveted privilege of U.S. citizenship for their children.
Affairs Committee found that several companies—these are businesses— several companies existed to assist individuals trying to exploit America's generosity in this regard. One such company, Ada International, worked largely with Chinese individuals while another was known as Miami Mama, which specialized in helping Russian nationals secure U.S. citizenship for their children.
When we start to see foreign nationals securing U.S. citizenship for their children but with no intention of staying here or actually assimilating into our society and pledging allegiance to our Constitution and laws, it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong.
great privilege. And the practice of birth tourism undermines what it means to be an American.
involved in birth tourism inadmissible and deportable from the United States.
detain aliens who commit crimes related to birth tourism. It would require anyone engaged in this practice who entered the United States from Mexico or Canada to return to those countries for legal proceedings while they are pending, which would prevent them from actually giving birth here in the United States while they await the decision of their case.
Program to give birth in U.S. territories. This legislation would create new criminal penalties and enforcement actions against those running birth tourism rings, including new criminal penalties under the Immigration and Nationality Act for those who facilitate this practice.
to the Department of Justice for prosecution involving individuals and organizations that are involved in birth tourism schemes.
this great country, and we must treat U.S. citizenship as such. But the practice of birth tourism trivializes this great privilege, and I hope the Senate will adopt my legislation to crack down on this atrocity.