President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Defense “minibus” spending bill. The measure funds the National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The system is part of the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in 2016. 

Multiple sclerosis funding priorities include:

• $5 million for the National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System
• $6 million for the MS Research Program in the Department of Defense
• $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health
• $4.1 million for the Lifespan Respite Program

The demographic data collected by the National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System holds the potential to significantly accelerate research by allowing more informed analysis of genetic and environmental disease risk factors.