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S. 4494: American Cures Act

A Senate bill (S.) in the 119th U.S. Congress.

Overview

Congress119th U.S. Congress (2025–2026)
TypeSenate bill (S.)
Originating chamberSenate
Introduced2026-05-12
SponsorSen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Policy areaHealth
Cosponsors3
Latest action2026-05-12 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. (text: CR S2239)
Last updated2026-05-15

Summary

Official summary (Introduced in Senate, 2026-05-12):

American Cures Act

This bill permanently funds several federal agencies and programs that perform biomedical research.

The bill provides specified funding for

  • the National Institutes of Health,
  • the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
  • the Department of Defense health program, and
  • the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program.

The bill exempts the funding from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.

It also exempts the budgetary effects of the funding from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010 and the Senate PAYGO rule.

Cosponsors (3)

NameParty / state
Richard Blumenthal D CT (original cosponsor) 2026-05-12
Tammy Duckworth D IL (original cosponsor) 2026-05-12
Chris Van Hollen D MD (original cosponsor) 2026-05-12

Full text & official record

The official bill text, section-by-section summary, amendments, committee reports, and the complete legislative timeline for S. 4494 are published by Congress on congress.gov.

View S. 4494 on congress.gov →

Frequently asked questions

What is S. 4494?

S. 4494 is a Senate bill (S.) introduced in the 119th U.S. Congress, originating in the Senate. Official title: American Cures Act.

Where can I read the full bill text?

The full text, cosponsors, amendments, and legislative status for S. 4494 are available on congress.gov.

Bill data: congress.gov API (official congressional records).