Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for Als Reauthorization Act of 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the ACT for ALS Reauthorization Act, H.R. 8205, legislation that will reauthorize programs that support research and development of drugs and other therapies to address ALS.

It is hard to believe, but the original ACT for ALS Act was signed into law a little less than five years ago. As a Co-Chair of the bipartisan ALS Caucus, I saw first-hand the effort to get that landmark legislation across the finish line was the result of the passion and detepnination of the ALS advocacy community.

The passage of the ACT for ALS Act authorized key programs to expand access to new investigational drugs and grants for research of this terrible disease. Working with my Appropriations Committee colleagues, the ALS Caucus, and ALS advocates, we have been successful at making historic investments into these programs.

In Fiscal Year 2022, Congress invested nearly $30 million in ACT for ALS programs. That number increased nearly 200 percent in Fiscal Year 2025 to $86 million--nearly matching the $100 million authorization cap enshrined into law. Since the initial passge, the law has demonstrably sped infrastructure, access, and targeted progress.

By reauthorizing the ACT for ALS, the trajectory is hopeful due to better tools, data, and collaboration. ALS patients and families are relying on us not to lose momentum and to build upon hopeful progress and someday find a cure for this devastating illness.

I want to thank my ALS Caucus Members, including the bill's sponsor Representative Quigley, for their work. I want to give my heartfelt appreciation, once again, to the ALS advocacy community and the families who have been forever changed by ALS. I urge all of my colleagues to stand with these families, give them hope, and pass the ACT for ALS Reauthorization Act.

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