He has also focused on children’s health and medical research throughout his time in Congress, founding the Cystic Fibrosis Caucus in the House of Representatives and authoring a bill to increase the ability of individuals with rare disorders such as CF to participate in clinical trials. Ed has also urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase support for new and innovative therapies for rare diseases by improving consistency and predictability in the approval process, while meanwhile securing research funding.

Ed knows that Social Security and Medicare are being threatened for our seniors and are almost sure to disappear for millennials. That’s why he is working to protect our safety net and ensure that every person is able to retire with dignity and respect.

In 2012, Ed introduced the Independence at Home program to allow older Americans who wish to age at home the opportunity to do so. The program, which is now available to seniors nationwide, gives our elderly the option to receive primary care services within their homes, while creating a team of health care providers that are responsible for coordinating their care and helping them avoid trips to the emergency room.

After his mother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 1998, Ed founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s. He is the national leader in the fight to find a cure, and while in the House of Representatives, co-authored the successful National Alzheimer’s Project Act. Ed’s legislation mandated the development of the first comprehensive National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, setting the bold goal of preventing and treating the disease by 2025. He also introduced the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to accelerate the development of treatments that prevent, cure, or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and coordinate Alzheimer’s research within federal agencies.

Ed is also the author of the bipartisan Spending Reductions Through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act, which would focus research and drug development on high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, and the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (H.O.P.E.) Act, which encourages early Alzheimer’s diagnoses and connects caregivers with resources.