Ask Your House Representative to Support Mito Research Funding in 2026 Appropriations

Every year, UMDF, with help from the Congressional Mitochondrial Disease Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and McGovern (D-MA), work to educate Congress on federal funding priorities for mitochondrial disease. Specifically, we advocate for including mitochondrial disease as an area of medical research eligible for the Department of Defense (DoD) Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program. Due to this inclusion, there has been at least $70 million in funding for mitochondrial disease through the DOD’s Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program since 2015.

In FY2025, mitochondrial disease was included in the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee Report as an eligible research topic, but the legislation was not enacted. The FY2025 continuing resolution (CR) reduced PRMRP funding by 60%, allocating only $150 million, down from $370 million in FY2024. This substantial cut will severely limit the number of research grants awarded this year, so we’re counting on the mitochondrial disease community to help us reach out to legislators to help restore those cuts next year.

As Congress begins the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process, they rely on stakeholders they represent to tell them which federal funding efforts to prioritize, which is why UMDFs engagement on DoD and NIH issues has been critical year after year.

UMDF supporters interested in being part of this effort are encouraged to contact their congressional offices and ask that they prioritize this request. Dear Colleague letters are sent between Congressional members to encourage offices to support critical policy efforts. A large number of signatures on the letters, particularly if they represent both sides of the aisle, will send an important message to the leadership of the Appropriations Subcommittees as they begin to work on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 spending bills.