Representatives Andre Carson (D-IN) and Mike Levin (D-CA) are seeking co-sponsors on their bill to restore and increase funding for medical research that supports the health and care of our nation’s service members. The Medical Research for Our Troops Act aims to ensure that critical funding for Defense Health Agency research programs — including the well-known Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) — is fully restored for 2025.

This legislation would:

• Increase overall funding for the Defense Health Agency’s research, development, testing, and evaluation efforts by over $1.18 billion.

• Ensure that Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs — which support groundbreaking, peer-reviewed research on military-relevant medical conditions — receive their full, intended funding.

• Require that this funding is used in line with prior congressional priorities established in 2024, supporting continuity and stability in ongoing and planned research initiatives.

The goal of the bill is to protect and advance medical research that directly impacts the health and recovery of service members, veterans, and their families — including research in areas such as:

• Trauma care and injury prevention

• Neurological and psychological health

• Regenerative medicine

• Combat casualty care

• Rehabilitation technologies

• and many other fields critical to military and civilian healthcare alike.

If enacted, this bill will help maintain the momentum of lifesaving research, ensuring that the military medical research community can continue its vital work without disruption.

CALL TO ACTION
Please contact your representatives and ask them to co-sponsor this important bill. To do so, visit Democracy.io, and enter your address to start an email to your representative (uncheck your senators). Feel free to copy and paste the message below, or write your own request.

Representatives Andre Carson (D-IN) and Mike Levin (D-CA) are seeking co-sponsors on their bill to restore and increase funding for medical research that supports the health and care of our nation’s service members. The Medical Research for Our Troops Act aims to ensure that critical funding for Defense Health Agency research programs — including the well-known Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) — is fully restored for 2025.

As a member of the trauma research community, I urge you to sign onto this piece of legislation as a co-sponsor. DHA research programs are vital to the health and recovery of service members, veterans and their families. What’s more, Congress appropriated this funding and should not renege on its commitment to fund lifesaving research.