Each year, ASTCT leaders and volunteers from across the country meet with their respective members of Congress to advocate for patient access to lifesaving transplant and cell therapy treatments and methods of care.

On September 10, 2025, ASTCT board members, volunteers and advocates from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., for Hill Day 2025. Collectively, ASTCT met with 45 House and Senate offices from 21 different states to advocate for increased NIH funding and increased patient access to lifesaving transplantation and cellular therapies.

This year's advocacy agenda included:

Increased Funding for the NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest public health funder of clinical trials that our patients depend on for access to cutting-edge treatments. Reductions in NIH funding would stall scientific progress, waste decades of investment and delay cures that are within reach. At Hill Day 2025, ASTCT urged Congress to:

• Increase NIH funding by $400 million in FY 2026
• Protect NIH institutes and preserve its competitive grant structure
   

Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act (H.R. 4758/S. 2372)

Children with blood cancers often require specialized treatment available only at select transplant centers, many of which are out of state. But in 15 states without a pediatric transplant center, out-of-state providers must go through a lengthy enrollment process in the patient’s home-state Medicaid or CHIP program, delaying care by weeks or even months. At Hill Day 2025, ASTCT called on Congress to:

• Cosponsor S. 752 / H.R. 1509, a bipartisan bill that fast-tracks provider enrollment
• Remove regulatory barriers that prevent children from receiving time-sensitive, life-saving treatment
   

C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program

The C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program (CWBYTP) connects patients with unrelated bone marrow and cord blood donors. Roughly 75% of patients in need of a transplant don’t have a matched family donor, making this federally coordinated program a critical lifeline. CWBYTP brings together multiple federal agencies to streamline and support unrelated donor transplants. Since its creation, the program has helped facilitate over 140,000 transplants, including nearly 8,000 in 2024 alone. But its authorization is set to expire at the end of 2026. At Hill Day 2025, ASTCT urged Congress to:

• Reauthorize the CWBYTP through H.R. 5160, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act
• Ensure continued access to unrelated marrow and cord blood transplants for all patients in need

Keep the Momentum Going: Send a Letter to Congress