119th (2025–2027)
H.Res. 1371
This resolution expresses Congressional support for "World Sickle Cell Awareness Day" and calls for increased efforts to combat sickle cell disease both domestically and globally. The resolution highlights that approximately 100,000 Americans have sickle cell disease, with disproportionate rates among African-American and Hispanic-American populations, while millions more are affected worldwide, particularly in Africa where 1,000 children are born with the disease daily. The House commits to supporting research, early detection screenings, and access to treatments including recently approved gene therapies, while calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to develop global policy solutions and eliminate barriers to equitable treatment access. The resolution also encourages the President to establish a Sickle Cell Disease Interagency Group involving federal health agencies to coordinate policies addressing both treatment access and healthcare disparities affecting sickle cell patients. This is a symbolic resolution that does not provide specific funding or create binding requirements but expresses Congressional priorities for addressing the disease.