Congress pays drug makers up to $6 billion for new germ-fighting drugs.

What it does

The bill sets up a program to pay drug makers $75 million to $300 million per year. They get paid for making new drugs that fight germs resistant to old drugs. Drug makers can get paid for up to 10 years after FDA approval. The government only cuts payments by U.S. sales money the drug maker earns. The bill also pays hospitals to use these drugs wisely and track germ resistance.

Who it affects

Drug makers that create new germ-fighting drugs get steady payments from the government. Hospitals get money to teach doctors when to use these drugs. Patients may or may not get these drugs at low cost.

One thing to notice

The bill does not require drug makers to keep prices low or limit profits. A drug maker could get the full $300 million per year while charging patients very high prices.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

4 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Jun 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 23, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

6 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 6 reports from Jun 2026 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $3,280,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 10 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 82% of bills with any report.

Michael Bennet, who sponsored the bill, received $21,000 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• National Association of Broadcasters — $2,620,000 in 1 report
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — $270,000 in 1 report
• Dh Diagnostics, LLC — $220,000 in 1 report
• Dh Diagnostics LLC — $70,000 in 1 report
• American Society for Microbiology — $50,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• germ resistance — When germs stop responding to old drugs and become harder to kill.
• FDA approval — Permission from the federal agency that checks if drugs are safe and work.
• use these drugs wisely — Hospital plans to teach doctors when and how to give these drugs.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.