Just over a month after Blood Advocacy Week and the ABC Advocacy Summit, ABC is already seeing results across our advocacy priorities.
Since our June Capitol Hill meetings, additional Members of Congress have cosponsored one of ABC’s flagship legislative bills, H.R. 5791, The BLOOD Centers Act. Support for the bill remains bipartisan, reflecting broad recognition of the critical role blood centers play in maintaining a stable and resilient blood supply. We continue to hear from congressional offices interested in joining as cosponsors, and we expect the list of supporters to keep growing.
On cybersecurity, we have heard encouraging feedback from congressional offices and ABC members alike about finding ways to strengthen cybersecurity protections for blood centers and safeguard the blood supply. ABC continues to follow up with offices to keep this important issue in front of lawmakers.
In addition, Members of Congress demonstrated their support for improving patient access to blood transfusions in hospice care by signing onto H.R. 7966, Hospice CARE Act of 2026 on the day of our Advocacy Summit.
The most significant recent development is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) announcement of a 5-year pilot project covering prehospital blood transfusions under TRICARE. This effort will help gather the necessary information for permanent TRICARE coverage. While ABC’s requested report language was not included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the pilot project reflects the momentum we built, and we continue to see strong bipartisan support for prehospital blood from countless congressional offices.
These key legislative wins did not happen by chance. They are the direct result of ABC members coming to Washington, D.C. and doing the hard work of meeting with lawmakers and advocating for the blood supply. Advocacy is not a one-time activity but a continual effort to keep our priorities in front of Congress and continually educate lawmakers about the challenges blood centers face in their communities.
We strongly encourage ABC members to keep following up with the offices they met with. You can thank the offices for their support or invite them to tour your blood centers and see firsthand the important work that was mentioned during the meetings in D.C. As always, feel free to reach out to our Government Affairs Manager, Lorenzo Rodriguez, at lrodriguez@americasblood.org with any questions.