In the weeks during and after Head to the Hill®, when more than 350 advocates brought their stories to Capitol Hill, members of Congress responded. Both chambers formally recognized May 2026 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month, the BRAIN Act picked up a wave of new cosponsors, and an important bill related to modernizing clinical trials that we’ve long supported was reintroduced in the Senate.
Here’s a roundup of the progress you helped drive.
Both chambers recognize May 2026 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month in the U.S.
Members of Congress in the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced resolutions designating May as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
The House version was led by Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Michael McCaul (R-TX), and picked up five additional cosponsors after our Head to the Hill visits.
The Senate resolution was championed by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Ed Markey (D-MA), and the Senate passed the resolution unanimously on May 20.
This is a formal acknowledgment, on the record, for the more than 1.3 million Americans living with a primary brain tumor and the loved ones who support them that this cause matters to our policymakers. These resolutions keep brain tumors visible to the people who write our national budgets and shape our laws.
The Bolstering Research and Innovation Now (BRAIN) Act gains 16 new cosponsors
Our signature legislative initiative, the BRAIN Act, has added 18 new cosponsors since Head to the Hill, 13 in the House and five in the Senate. That brings the bill to 61 cosponsors in the House and 14 in the Senate. Importantly, cosponsors continue to join from both parties, highlighting the nonpartisan nature of the bill and the importance of its provisions to people from all walks of life.
Here are the members who signed on since Head to the Hill. Take a look to see whether one of your own representatives stepped up. If so, a “thank you” goes a long way.
New Senate cosponsors:
- Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
- Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
- Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
- Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
New House cosponsors:
- Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-4)
- Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-NY-18)
- Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX-5)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1)
- Rep. Herbert C. Conaway (D-NJ-3)
- Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA-6)
- Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15)
- Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11)
- Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-7)
- Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7)
- Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR-5)
- Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ-1)
- Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI-1)
If you don’t see your members of Congress on this list, now is the time to change that. Urge them to cosponsor the BRAIN Act through our Action Alerts center, and build on the momentum we created at Head to the Hill by registering for our virtual advocacy day, Advocate from Your State, this fall.
A clinical trials bill we support returns to Congress
Also this spring, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) reintroduced the Clinical Trial Modernization Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at removing the cost and geographic barriers that keep many patients from joining clinical trials.
For people with brain tumors, clinical trials are often where the most promising new treatments are found. Yet the practical hurdles — travel, time off work, out-of-pocket costs — put participation out of reach for too many, and trials that don’t reflect the full patient population produce findings that don’t serve every patient equally. The bill, led in the advocacy community by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, works to lower those hurdles.
NBTS has supported this legislation in past Congresses, and we’ve again added our name to a coalition letter of support. Expanding access to clinical trials is core to our mission, and we’re glad to see this bill back in front of lawmakers.
Looking ahead
Brain Tumor Awareness Month showed what our community can accomplish when we speak up together. Let’s keep the momentum going beyond May! As mentioned above, registration is now open for Advocate from Your State on September 16, another prime opportunity to remind your members of Congress about the importance of advancing legislation and policies that are important to the brain tumor community– this time from the comfort of your own home.
Finally, keep an eye on your email and NBTS social media accounts for any additional Action Alert opportunities that may pop-up between now and September’s event.
As always, thank you for your dedication, support, and impactful advocacy.
