What progress have you made since your last update?
Since our last update, our coalition has continued to build bipartisan support for the End Kidney Deaths Act while expanding our national advocacy efforts.
Most significantly, we helped secure passage of the Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act, which passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and was signed into law in February 2026. Although much narrower than the End Kidney Deaths Act, the HOLD Act demonstrates that our coalition can successfully navigate Congress, build bipartisan support, and enact federal legislation to improve living kidney donation.
The End Kidney Deaths Act has continued to gain momentum. We now have 48 listed House sponsors, with 11 additional House offices committed to cosponsoring once the bill is reintroduced. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) has committed to leading the legislation in the Senate, and we are actively recruiting a Democratic Senate lead.
Our coalition has now held more than 1,000 meetings with congressional offices, built a coalition of 52 national organizations, and secured support from transplant professionals, economists, ethicists, patient advocates, and bipartisan lawmakers.
We also completed a national NORC at the University of Chicago survey showing majority public support for compensating non-directed kidney donors through a refundable tax credit, strengthening the political case for the legislation.
Finally, we have begun documenting the political and financial obstacles to reform, including outreach to dialysis companies, congressional offices, and investigative journalists to better understand why legislation with the potential to save lives and reduce Medicare spending has never received a congressional hearing.
For details, go to: EndKidneyDeathsAct.org
What are your next steps?
The current Congress is unlikely to pass the End Kidney Deaths Act before adjournment, so our focus has shifted toward maximizing the probability of passage in the next Congress.
Our immediate priorities are:
Preserve our existing bipartisan coalition by confirming that current cosponsors will become original cosponsors when the bill is reintroduced.
Secure a Democratic Senate lead to partner with Senator Jerry Moran.
Determine the strongest legislative pathway (Ways & Means or Appropriations) for reintroduction.
Continue expanding our bipartisan House coalition.
Seek meetings with DaVita, Fresenius, and other dialysis stakeholders to understand their positions and explore opportunities for constructive dialogue.
Prepare briefing materials for investigative journalists examining the political economy of kidney care and barriers to expanding kidney transplantation.
Continue building public awareness through media, social media, presentations, and grassroots advocacy.
Our long-term objective remains unchanged: enact a ten-year federal pilot program capable of eliminating the kidney shortage, saving approximately 100,000 American lives, and reducing Medicare spending by approximately $40 billion over the next decade.
Is there anything others could help you with?
Yes.
We welcome introductions to:
Members of Congress and Senate offices interested in healthcare reform or Medicare policy.
Philanthropists interested in high-impact policy advocacy.
Investigative journalists covering healthcare, government spending, campaign finance, or public corruption.
Economists, bioethicists, transplant professionals, and policy experts willing to publicly support the legislation.
Organizations interested in joining our coalition.
We also welcome volunteers who can help with congressional outreach, communications, social media, research, and grassroots organizing.
The expected impact of this work remains unusually large, saving of 100,000 lives and $40 billion in federal spending each decade. A relatively modest philanthropic investment could materially increase the probability of passing legislation capable of saving tens of thousands of lives while reducing federal spending by billions of dollars. Few policy opportunities offer this combination of humanitarian impact and fiscal benefit.