January 2026
Congress Seeks to Finalize Spending Package Providing Funding for NIH; Urge Congress to Finish FY 2026 Appropriations and Support Research Funding
Congressional appropriators have made significant progress in efforts to finalize remaining fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding bills prior to the expiration of current funding for most federal agencies on January 30.
On January 22, the House passed a package of funding bills that includes funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and its agencies, by a 341-88 vote. The bill allocates$116.5 billion for HHS, roughly $100 million below FY 2025 enacted levels, but well above the President’s budget request and the level originally proposed by the House. Included in the funding for HHS is a modest increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that brings total funding for the agency to $47.2 billion for FY 2026.
While, the Senate was expected to take up the House-passed funding package the week of January 26, whether Congress will complete the FY 2026 funding before the January 30 deadline remained uncertain due to objections by a number of members over funding for the Department of Homeland Security included in the package.
As members of Congress continue efforts to finalize FY 2026 appropriations bills, they need to hear from you about the importance of robust and sustained research funding. Support for such research is critical to professionals in the field, vital for patients with hematologic disorders, and essential to sustain U.S. leadership in science and innovation. Make your voice heard. Visit the ASH website to take action and send a message to your elected officials urging Congress to finalize FY 2026 appropriations and support the highest possible funding level for NIH. Your voice will help to reinforce the importance of strong, timely federal investment in medical research. Scientists, clinicians, and, most especially, patients, depend on it.
ASH Advocacy and Policy Initiatives Year in Review
As we begin 2026, we reflect on the many advocacy and policy initiatives that were important to hematology and the ASH membership throughout the previous year. In the last year, ASH expanded its advocacy efforts through the Fight4Hematology campaign, which focused efforts to protect NIH funding and the Medicaid program. ASH simultaneously remained committed to the Society’s strategic priorities to protect scientific research, advance care for sickle cell disease (SCD), and improve various practice issues including coverage, payment, and access. Learn more about ASH’s 2025 advocacy efforts in research and public health funding, ensuring patients have access to quality care, payment and coverage for hematologists, and issues related to SCD.
HHS Announces Reduction of Universally Recommended Childhood Vaccines from 17 to 11
On January 5, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, shifting rotavirus, meningococcal, and influenza vaccines to shared clinical decision-making, while continuing routine recommendations for measles, polio, whooping cough, HPV, and chickenpox. HHS said all CDC-recommended vaccines will remain fully covered by federal insurers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will also stop requiring states to report pediatric and prenatal immunization rates and explore new reporting metrics.
These decisions came despite ongoing advocacy from ASH and other medical organizations urging CDC and Agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) to maintain the existing child and adolescent vaccine schedule, including ASH’s letter to ACIP in September, and the most recent letter sent to the Committee in November. ASH will continue to monitor and advocate on vaccine policy and its impact on the hematology community.
ASH Joins 230 Groups in Letter Urging Congressional Oversight of New Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the U.S. would now follow a vaccine schedule that appears to be modeled after guidance used in Denmark. However, the prior U.S. recommendations have been effective in keeping children healthy: studies estimate that from 1994 to 2023, routine childhood vaccinations have prevented approximately 508 million cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and over 1 million deaths in the United States.
ASH signed a letter urging congress to investigate why the schedule was changed, why credible scientific evidence was ignored, and why the committee charged with advising the HHS Secretary on immunizations did not discuss the schedule changes as a part of their public meeting process.
NHLBI Director, Gary Gibbons, MD, to Retire
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) announced recently that Director, Gary H. Gibbons, MD, will retire from federal service on January 31, 2026. Dr. Gibbons has led NHLBI since 2012. Dr. Gibbons’ departure comes amid leadership transitions at NIH, where 15 of the agency’s 27 institutes and centers currently lack permanent directors. David Goff, MD, PhD, the current Deputy Director for Precision Medicine and Data Science at NHLBI and the former Director of Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at NHLBI, will serve as Acting Director while a search for a permanent replacement is underway.
ASH Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Older Adults
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has released updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for treating newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older adults. Check out the updated guidelines now!