02.06.20

Durbin Joins Bipartisan Senate ALS Caucus

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Mike Braun (R-IN), announced the creation of the bipartisan Senate ALS Caucus. Founding members also include: U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Boozman (R-AR), John Kennedy (R-LA), Doug Jones (D-AL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Martha McSally (R-AZ). 

“I’m proud to join my colleagues in starting this Senate caucus focused on helping individuals and families battling ALS,” said Durbin. “We have to maintain our bipartisan commitment to funding life-saving biomedical research that helps to find causes, treatments, and cures to the world’s most challenging diseases like ALS.”

The bipartisan Senate ALS Caucus will bring together Senators from both sides of the aisle who share a commitment to working collaboratively to advocate on behalf of ALS patients and their families. The mission of the Senate ALS Caucus is to:

  • Raise awareness about the difficulties faced by ALS patients and their families;
  • Advance policies that improve the quality of life for ALS patients;
  • Expand the network of support for those suffering from ALS; and,
  • Advocate for investments in research that will enhance our understanding of the causes of ALS, identify effective treatments, and eventually discover a cure.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that destroys the body’s ability to control muscle movement. There is no effective treatment for the disease, no known cause, and currently no cure.

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