Protecting America from Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill sets a national goal to deliver the first doses of a finished flu vaccine within 12 weeks of a new pandemic strain emerging, with a plan due within 6 months of enactment. This aims to dramatically speed up the country's ability to respond to a flu pandemic.
• A second national goal calls for developing a universal flu vaccine within 10 years, which would protect against many flu strains at once and could end the need for a new shot every year. NIH and BARDA would publish a plan within one year.
• The bill directs HHS to create public-private partnerships to strengthen the domestic vaccine supply chain, covering everything from raw ingredients to finished vaccines to ancillary supplies like needles and syringes, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.
• New programs would tackle vaccine hesitancy through targeted outreach, including a communications public-private partnership and a test-to-treat demonstration project at facilities serving vulnerable populations like nursing homes, tribal health clinics, and VA facilities.
• The bill authorizes billions in annual funding starting in fiscal year 2027, including $1 billion per year for the Strategic National Stockpile, $735 million for public health emergency preparedness, $681 million for the CDC immunization program, $335 million for pandemic influenza countermeasures, and $270 million for universal flu vaccine research.
• The bill creates a special "health defense operations" budget designation that would exempt certain public health preparedness spending from budget caps, and establishes a bypass budget process letting CDC, NIH, and ASPR submit their estimates directly to the president without HHS changes.