The new “S.3176 – United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2020” is now being considered in the US congress and senate. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3176/text. The amounts are to be “not less than $3,300,000,000” per year, for the fiscal years 2021 through 2028. On July 31, the US House of Representatives passed the “H.R.7617 – Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2021” including $500 million for the fiscal year 2021 for “the Israeli Cooperative Programs” (Section 8069 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7617/text?r=33&s=2)

Regretfully, these bills removed the subject of R&D for healthy aging ($2M per year, for 2020-2022) that was included in the earlier bill “H.R.1837 – United States-Israel Cooperation Enhancement and Regional Security Act” (introduced in March 2019) following the joint outreach of the Vetek (Seniority) Association, the Global Healthspan Policy Institute and others. 

http://www.longevityisrael.org/us-israel-collaboration-on-aging-related-rd-is-planned/

Thus, according to the old bill H.R.1837 (Section 110), the health technologies were to be developed “in relation to aging”:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1837/text

“(i) Development Of Health Technologies.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022 to establish a bilateral cooperative program with Israel for the development of health technologies, including health technologies described in paragraph (2), with an emphasis on collaboratively advancing the use of technology, personalized medicine, and data in relation to aging”.

(2) TYPES OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES.—The health technologies described in this paragraph may include technologies such as artificial intelligence, biofeedback, sensors, monitoring devices, and kidney care.

While according to the new S.3176 bill (Section 207), the health technologies are to be developed “in relation to COVID-19”:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3176/text

“(b) Development Of Health Technologies.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services $4,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2023 for a bilateral cooperative program with the Government of Israel that awards grants for the development of health technologies, including health technologies listed in paragraph (2), subject to paragraph (3), with an emphasis on collaboratively advancing the use of technology and personalized medicine in relation to COVID–19.

(2) TYPES OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES.—The health technologies described in this paragraph may include technologies such as sensors, drugs and vaccinations, respiratory assist devices, diagnostic tests, and telemedicine.”

Of course, any cooperation for developing health technologies is to be welcomed. (Other topics are beyond the scope of the present expertise and involvement.) But the omission of the subject of aging is to be regretted. Evidently, a vital aspect of combating both non-communicable chronic and infectious diseases (such as COVID-19) is enhancing the aging host immunity and resilience, as aging and old-age multimorbidity are the main risk factors for bad outcomes (see the recent position paper “Geroscience at the Age of COVID-19” http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2020.0629). However, the present focus in the bill on COVID-19 clearly valorizes an “offensive” or reactive approach trying to “seek and destroy” the particular virus. It appears to make little or no allowance for a “defensive” or preventive approach endeavoring to enhance the aging immune system (among other degenerative aging processes) and thus ameliorate and prevent not only COVID-19 pathology, but the entire host of aging-related diseases and disabilities. This preventive and supportive approach is advanced by geroscience R&D, therapeutically targeting aging as the main risk factor and underlying cause of many diseases. The lack of allowance for it is discouraging. Practically it means that through 2023 the vital area of geroscience R&D will be under-emphasized in US-Israel health science collaboration.

Still, healthy longevity advocacy should not be discouraged in its work. The geroscience approach will remain valid long after the strong focus on COVID-19 will subside, as the population aging and the accompanying ill health are not going anywhere. Hopefully, longevity advocates will keep on doing whatever is possible to advance the aging field, by whatever means that are available.