Rep. Gillen Successfully Pushes Lifesaving Medical Research Funding Through Congress, to President's Desk

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY - Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) celebrated the final passage of lifesaving medical research funding in the House of Representatives to President Trump's desk after a months-long push to move the stalled package through Congress. Earlier this week, she urged Speaker Mike Johnson to sign the bill and send it to the President to be signed into law.

"I'm proud to have helped push this funding for vital medical research through Congress after months of a partisan stalemate in the Senate and weeks of inaction by the Speaker of the House," said Rep. Gillen. "Every day that passed without a reauthorization of this funding threatened to end lifesaving treatment for Long Islanders and others across the country. This legislation now moves one step closer to saving the medical breakthroughs and innovations they rely on."

Earlier this year, Merrick resident Andrew Jedlicka contacted Rep. Gillen for help when a New York lab treating his son with a rare genetic disorder was set to close due to a lack of continued research funding. She immediately demanded that the House and Senate Small Business Committees reach a bipartisan agreement to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs that provide capital for businesses conducting cutting-edge, lifesaving medical research.

After months of delay, an agreement was reached in the Senate. On March 17th, Rep. Gillen helped pass the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act to reauthorize the SBIR/STTR programs through 2031.

Weeks later, the bill awaited Speaker Johnson's signature before it could be presented to the President. To ensure lives were not needlessly put at risk, Rep. Gillen urged Speaker Johnson to immediately sign the legislation and send it to the President's desk to become law.

The bill was then signed by the Speaker and transmitted to the White House for President Trump's signature.

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