Congress Restores $10M to Lupus Research Program After 2025 Funding Cut
Event summary
- Congress restored $10M in funding for the DoD Lupus Research Program, cut in FY2025.
- NIH funding increased by $415M to $48.7B in FY2026, maintaining lupus research priority.
- FDA-Agriculture appropriations bill supports Lupus ABC public-private partnership.
- Bipartisan Congressional Lupus Caucus and House Appropriations Committee led advocacy efforts.
The big picture
The restoration of lupus research funding reflects successful advocacy by the Lupus Research Alliance and bipartisan congressional support, despite broader defense budget cuts. This comes as lupus remains an underfunded autoimmune disease with significant unmet medical needs, particularly affecting women and minority populations. The public-private partnership model through Lupus ABC could become a template for other rare disease research initiatives.
What we're watching
- Funding Stability
- Whether the restored $10M DoD funding can be sustained beyond FY2026 amid broader defense budget pressures.
- Therapeutic Breakthroughs
- The pace at which Lupus ABC accelerates lupus drug development through its precompetitive collaboration model.
- Advocacy Impact
- How the bipartisan Congressional Lupus Caucus maintains momentum for lupus research funding in future appropriations battles.