Federal Budget Invests in Alzheimer’s Research & Support Services
(March 11, 2022) – Congress approved passage of the federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022, which is expected to be signed by the President, that includes an additional $289 million designated for Alzheimer’s disease research at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) – bringing federal funding to find an Alzheimer’s cure to a total of $3.4 billion. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) issued the following statement from its President and CEO, Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr.:
“Congress has acted yet again, in a bipartisan manner, to further our national commitment in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. As part of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s disease, the federal government set a national goal of finding an Alzheimer’s cure or disease modifying treatment by 2025. With this budget, Congress has made a further down payment to the investment necessary to meet this milestone.
“In addition to increasing federal research dollars, the FY 22 budget also provides for increases to Alzheimer’s disease initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Alzheimer’s caregiver support programs at the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The budget also establishes Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which seeks to revolutionize how to prevent, treat, and even cure a range of diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.
“AFA thanks members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, especially Senators Patty Murray and Roy Blunt as well as Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Tom Cole for their tireless work and advocacy in making these increases happen. Our other champions include Representatives Waters and Smith, who co-chair the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease in the House and Senators Markey, Warner, Collins, and Toomey who co-chair the Task Force in the Senate.”
More than 6.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease today. As baby boomers age, the incidence is expected to more than double to 14 million by 2060, according to the CDC. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the US, and the only one in the top ten without a cure or disease-modifying treatment.
