Booker, Scott Sickle Cell Awareness Resolution Passes The Senate with Unanimous Support

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) designating September 2026 as Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month. “For decades, people living with sickle cell disease have faced devastating pain, serious health complications, and an inequitable health care system that has too often failed to take their suffering seriously — and Black Americans have been disproportionately impacted ,” said Senator Booker. “This bipartisan resolution recognizes the nearly 100,000 Americans living with sickle cell disease and serves as a reminder that Congress must do more to close racial gaps in care, invest in better treatments, and ensure patients can live longer, healthier lives.” “Raising awareness about sickle cell anemia means working toward a future where Americans living with the disease can lead healthier lives with fewer limitations. The Senate’s unanimous passage of this resolution reinforces our commitment to making treatment and care more accessible, affordable, and attainable,” said Senator Scott . “New gene therapies should give us all hope, but we still have significant hurdles to overcome to ensure every American battling SCD has the opportunity to live out their American Dream.” This resolution builds on Senator Booker’s longstanding work to improve access to treatment and care for Americans living with sickle cell anemia. In 2025, Senators Booker and Scott reintroduced the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act , which would allow state Medicaid programs to provide comprehensive, coordinated care to patients with sickle cell anemia through a health home model. The resolution was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), James Lankford (R-OK), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Todd Young (R-IN). Read the full text of the resolution here.