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November 3, 2025

The AAN is your voice on Capitol Hill—and in a challenging political environment, building long-term relationships with Congress is more important than ever. While uncertainty may feel like the new norm in Washington, BrainPAC remains clear on its mission of putting neurology first.

Whether the AAN is engaging with health policy agencies to shape regulations, joining forces with other health-focused organizations, or empowering members to build relationships with their representatives, our goal is simple: ensure neurology is always part of the conversation.

BrainPAC is the only federal political action committee dedicated solely to neurology. It’s funded entirely through donations from AAN members who are US citizens or permanent residents, and appointed AAN members lead it. 

How BrainPAC works

BrainPAC serves as neurology’s voice on Capitol Hill, allowing us to educate federal legislators on the challenges facing neurologists and their patients. It provides bipartisan support for the campaigns of US House and Senate candidates who champion neurology, and it places neurology advocates at events where they can educate members of Congress. BrainPAC does not contribute to presidential or state-level campaigns. 

Federal law prohibits nonprofit organizations like the AAN from directly participating in federal elections in support of a particular candidate. To participate and have our voices heard by federal lawmakers, we’re required to create a political action committee (in this case, BrainPAC) to raise individual contributions from AAN members. Federal PACs are highly regulated by the Federal Election Commission.

“We give to candidates who are in a position to help or harm neurology,” said Jeremy K. Cutsforth-Gregory, MD, FAAN, who chairs the BrainPAC Executive Committee. “As for impact, BrainPAC has helped build the relationships behind essentially every federal legislative win for neurology.”

One example is in the realm of prior authorization reform, which is one of the AAN’s four priority advocacy issues. Neurologists and their patients know unnecessary and burdensome prior authorizations delay and prohibit timely access to care. Last year, our efforts helped secure House passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act and build support from more than 50 Senate cosponsors. 

This bill would streamline the outdated prior authorization process in Medicare Advantage. While it ultimately did not pass, we continue to work toward a legislative solution to ensure that the prior authorization reforms supported by CMS become permanent law. This year, the bill has over 200 cosponsors in the House, and a filibuster-proof 60 supportive senators. 

Passing legislation requires champions in Congress who put patients first. That’s where BrainPAC makes the difference. By supporting BrainPAC, you help elect and strengthen relationships with lawmakers who fight for important policies like the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act.

Long-term relationships with members of Congress matter for advocacy. BrainPAC helps build those relationships, ensuring that lawmakers know how national policies can affect neurologists and their patients—and making it clear that they can come to us and our members for necessary insights. In the most recent election cycle, 94% of BrainPAC-supported candidates won their races, underscoring the strength and effectiveness of BrainPAC’s engagement.

Why BrainPAC matters

Decisions affecting neurologists and their patients are made constantly on Capitol Hill. BrainPAC ensures that the people most impacted have a voice in those decisions—and it advocates on your behalf without you having to step away from your patients.

“There are a lot of ways in which the federal government and agencies can impact neurologists and care for neurology patients, for good or for bad,” Cutsforth-Gregory said. “If we want to be a part of those conversations, we have to have relationships with the folks who are at the table—members of the US House and Senate.”