We have an important opportunity for our advocates to reach out to their U.S. Senate offices today to encourage action to support federal funding for celiac disease research. Please join us in our effort to get the word out!

The U.S. Senate is currently determining its priorities for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bills, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is now circulating letters of support to:

  • The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense requesting that they continue to include celiac disease as an eligible condition under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program and to provide $12 million for celiac disease research; and
  • The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education requesting increased funding for celiac disease research at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

This presents an important opportunity to contact your Senate offices and urge them to sign Senator Blumenthal’s letters of support. Please contact your Senators by using the Senate Directory and calling their D.C. offices (Note: Only the last 5 digits of Senate phone numbers are listed. Every Senate office phone number begins with 202-22). Ask for the email address of your Senator’s health staffer, then email that person with the following template message:

“Hello (staff name),

As a constituent, I want to share the following opportunity with your office and urge your support. Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT) is inviting your boss to join two letters (Quill links below). One is to the Senate Subcommittees on Defense, requesting the subcommittee to include celiac disease in the list of conditions eligible for research under the FY24 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and to provide $12 million for celiac disease research and treatment, and the other is to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education, requesting increased funding for celiac disease research at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

Celiac disease is recognized as one of the world’s most common genetic autoimmune disorders, affecting 1% of the population. Despite this recognition, most cases remain undiagnosed.  Prevalence has increased four- to five-fold since 1950 for reasons not understood. Currently, there is no medication or cure for celiac disease.  Nor is there an effective method for prevention. The only course of action to prevent intestinal damage is to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Innovative research is required to find a cure for any disease, but up until recently, federal funding for celiac disease has been very limited, creating a shortage of resources for researchers.

(Include information on your personal connection to celiac disease)

DeadlineAPRIL 7th, COB

DoD Letter Quill Linkhttps://quill.senate.gov/letters/letter/10081/opt-in/view/d21dd2cd-c39c-41bd-ad33-6d847b72269f/

NIH Letter Quill Linkhttps://quill.senate.gov/letters/letter/10083/opt-in/view/d75104eb-cc83-468a-a0c0-70410ed06aa2/

If you have any questions, please contact Kasandra Navarro ([email protected]) or Sydney Lamb ([email protected])”

 

Please note: the Quill links to the letters in the above template are only available to Senate staff. View copies of both letters below.

DoD Letter Link: https://celiac.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FY24-CDMRP-Funding-for-Celiac-Disease-1.pdf

NIH Letter Link: https://celiac.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FY24-NIH-Funding-for-Celiac-Disease.pdf

We hope you will join us in making a difference today by contacting your Senator and urging them to sign Senator Blumenthal’s letters of support!