Federal Funding for TBI Research, Education, and Prevention: Maybe Some Good News
TBI Funding Cuts
The total dollar amount of cuts for CDC’s TBI programs was $8.25 million.
On April 1, 2025, the Trump administration laid off the Centers for Disease Control’s five-person TBI team.
Concussion Alliance reported the news in depth in their May 1, 2025, newsletter and on their website. One consequence was the near halt of the CDC’s National Concussion Surveillance System, which remaines unfunded.
What remains on the CDC website are weak references to the need for the project and to “pilot testing”.
- CDC finished pilot testing a survey about TBI experienced by children and adults in fall 2019.
- The pilot results are helping to refine plans for a National Concussion Surveillance System
The TBI Reauthorization Act
Following these setbacks, a renewal bill for the funding, H.R. 1493, was introduced in Congress. However, attempts to extend funding were unsuccessful and stuck in committee—until May 21, 2026.
The Good News
The primary legislative committee responsible for handling H.R. 1493 is the House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Frank Pallone, New Jersey Congressman (6th District). On May 21, 2026, the Committee advanced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize some federal TBI programs. The legislation honors Bill Pascrell, Jr. New Jersey Congressman (9th District), who led legislative efforts to increase TBI awareness, research, treatment, and rehabilitation services for decades before his death in 2024. Pascrell co-founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001 and called TBI the nation’s “silent epidemic.”
The legislation proposes renaming the federal government’s TBI surveillance system the “Bill Pascrell, Jr. National Program for Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance and Registries.” The bill provides federal support through Fiscal Year 2029, targeting enhancement of research, treatment initiatives, rehabilitation services, and data collection. If passed, these measures would allow the CDC and the Administration for Community Living to resume efforts previously cut due to funding losses.
The bill also instructs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study whether TBI should be officially recognized as a chronic condition, which could lead to better long-term care and support for survivors. Additionally, the legislation mandates federal reporting on populations disproportionately affected by TBI and requires identification of research gaps, promoting greater accountability and targeted support if the bill is enacted.
There is no guarantee that bills passing out of a House committee will be signed into law.
But if released by a committee, the bill is put on a calendar for a debate, amendment, or a vote. If the bill passes a simple majority vote, it moves to the Senate, where it is assigned to another committee. The same process occurs in the Senate. Ultimately, after different versions of the bill are worked out, both the Senate and the House have to approve the bill. Once the bill is “enrolled,” the President has 10 days to sign or veto it.
Let’s track this bill:
Congress.gov can help us. Write or call your Representatives when it is up for a vote.
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