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Senate Letter Supports Increased Funding for Military Burn Research

Thursday, May 21, 2026

On May 12, Senator Gillibrand submitted a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, urging the Committee to allocate $12 million to the Military Burn Research Program (MBRP) in the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War Appropriations bill. This request represents a $2 million increase for the program. 16 Senators signed on to the letter in support of the additional funding. 

Since FY2007, Congress has included funding to support the MBRP. This investment has supported multi-center clinical trials to improve care for service members suffering from serious burn injuries sustained during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and has strengthened the broader burn care field through infrastructure, education, leadership development, and collaboration across military and civilian burn centers. The FY2026 appropriations bill continued this commitment by maintaining support for this competitive, peer-reviewed program.  

For American Burn Association (ABA) members, continued investment in burn research supports advances in clinical practice, strengthens collaboration across burn centers, expands research capacity, and ultimately improves outcomes for burn patients nationwide. Continued funding for military burn research is critical to ensure the burn care community provides the best possible care to service members and the full burn care community. 


You can view the full letter here.

As the FY27 appropriations process moves forward, ABA’s Health Policy team will continue to monitor developments and keep ABA members informed about opportunities to track progress and engage as appropriate.   

List of Senate Signees  

  • Kirsten Gillibrand – New York 

  • Tina Smith – New Mexico 

  • Tammy Baldwin - Wisconsin 

  • Edward J. Markey – Massachusetts  

  • Tammy Duckworth - Illinois 

  • Richard Blumenthal – Connecticut  

  • Angela D. Alsobrooks - Maryland 

  • Ben Ray Luján – New Mexico 

  • Elizabeth Warren - Massachusetts 

  • Mazie K. Hirono - Hawaii 

  • Jack Reed – Rhode Island 

  • Alex Padilla - California 

  • Cory A. Booker – New Jersey 

  • Jacky Rosen - Nevada 

  • Maria Cantwell – Washington  

  • Michael F. Bennet – Colorado  

  • Andy Kim – New Jersey