Sponsors (9)
The bill channels dedicated U.S.–Israel funding and program structures to accelerate biomedical innovation and patient access—especially for digital and AI-enabled health products—while creating new federal spending, cross‑border data and governance challenges, and potential regulatory and allocation trade‑offs.
Patients and U.S. health systems: faster access to new treatments, diagnostics, devices, and coordinated manufacturing through jointly funded U.S.–Israel R&D and shared clinical efforts.
Researchers, startups, and tech workers: increased and sustained funding and jointly funded R&D opportunities (including the program-level funding) that accelerate development, commercialization, and potential job growth.
U.S. national and economic interests: strengthens U.S.–Israel scientific/diplomatic ties and supports joint manufacturing and supply‑chain resilience for biological products, reducing disruption risks.
Taxpayers and the federal budget: the program creates new federal spending (notably $10 million per year through FY2032 and other administrative costs) that could crowd out other domestic priorities.
U.S. patients' privacy: sharing health data with a foreign ministry and coordinating cross‑border projects raises privacy and data‑security risks unless strong safeguards are enforced.
Public-health equity and domestic research priorities: emphasis on bilateral and commercially promising projects risks skewing limited resources away from broader domestic or less‑profitable public‑health needs.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a U.S.–Israel BIRD Health Program and authorizes $10M/year (2026–2032) to fund joint health R&D, commercialization, and ecosystem strengthening via the BIRD Foundation.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a bilateral research and innovation program to facilitate and coordinate efforts between the United States and Israel in certain health-related areas, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 16, 2025 by Randy Weber · Last progress July 16, 2025
Creates a U.S.–Israel bilateral BIRD Health Program to fund and coordinate joint health research, development, and commercialization projects. It directs HHS to contract with the BIRD Foundation, sets program goals and project selection criteria, and authorizes $10 million per year from 2026–2032 to support projects in areas such as medical devices, diagnostics (including AI-driven), digital health, vaccines, biologics, manufacturing, and telemedicine. The bill requires near-term and annual reporting to Congress on program setup and project progress, and mandates a comprehensive review every three years with recommendations for renewal or expansion.