Rep. Chris Smith and Sec. Kennedy at the HHS' Lyme Disease Roundtable on December 15, 2025.

                Yesterday, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Caucus, joined U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a “game changing” discussion about new and improved diagnostics, therapeutics, and prognoses for Lyme disease patients.

                The HHS’ Lyme Disease Roundtable discussion, convened by Sec. Kennedy, was also attended by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Lyme disease experts, and patients.

                “As Co-Chair of the Congressional Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Caucus, I was honored to join Secretary Kennedy and other distinguished stakeholders, such as my fellow members of Congress, experts, and patients, in discussing the present state and future possibilities of Lyme disease diagnostics, treatments, and therapies,” said Smith, the author of numerous laws to enhance federal funding for Lyme disease research.

                “This chronic, life-altering disease—which continues to rise throughout the United States, including and especially in my home state of New Jersey—deserves the federal government’s undivided attention and assistance,” stated the longtime advocate for Lyme patients.

                “I want to thank, first of all, Congressman Chris Smith, who is the Chair of the Lyme Caucus and who has been responsible for getting some of the funding that we need to make sure that this works,” said Sec. Kennedy. “One of the reasons we wanted to host this meeting is to announce to the world that the gaslighting of Lyme patients is over.

                “We want to make sure that every physician in the country can recognize the symptoms of Lyme disease and test for it and then direct patients to the best possible treatments,” continued Sec. Kennedy.

                Throughout the roundtable discussion, Sec. Kennedy—who described the personal impact of Lyme disease on his family—announced numerous, significant HHS initiatives to better research and treat Lyme disease, including:

• The renewal of the $10 million LymeX Innovation Accelerator initiative, made possible through the partnership of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, which will advance new and improved diagnostic tools and resources. Smith has successfully advocated for and secured millions of dollars in federal funds for the continuation of the program; and
• The expansion of CMS’ Chronic Care Management program to include and support beneficiaries with Lyme disease and related conditions, increasing access to coordinated care and reducing financial barriers for patients with chronic Lyme.

Rep. Chris Smith speaks at the HHS' Lyme Disease Roundtable.

                “The highly productive and enlightening conversations between government officials, lawmakers, and experts at yesterday’s roundtable should serve as beacons of hope for all Lyme patients and advocates throughout the country,” stated Smith. “Lyme patients have suffered in silence for far too long. With stronger diagnostic criteria and improved treatment options, we can work towards finally finding a cure for this invisible yet debilitating illness.

                “I am very grateful for Secretary Kennedy’s unwavering commitment to uncovering the origins, investigating the comorbidities, and developing new diagnostics and treatments for Lyme disease—significantly improving the qualities of life and care for patients. Lyme patients deserve answers, and under Secretary Kennedy’s phenomenal leadership, the HHS is steadfastly working towards procuring them,” concluded Smith.

                The Lyme Disease Roundtable comes on the heels of another breakthrough for federal Lyme disease research—the House passage of Smith’s FY 26 NDAA amendment to probe whether the Cold War-era U.S. government weaponized ticks with Lyme disease to serve as hosts or delivery mechanisms for biological warfare agents.

                Smith’s amendment—which compels the Comptroller General of the United States to perform an exhaustive review of research conducted by the military and other federal agencies between 1945 and 1972 regarding experiments involving two forms of tick-borne bacteria, Spirochaetales and Rickettsiales—was included in the major 2026 defense bill passed by the House last week and is expected to be voted on by the full Senate later this week.

                The legislation was inspired in-part by the explosion of Lyme disease in New Jersey and Kris Newby’s book, Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons.

                Bitten features in-depth interviews with and the personal files of Dr. Willy Burgdorfer—the federal researcher and U.S. bioweapons specialist credited with discovering Lyme disease—who later revealed that he and other bioweapons specialists injected ticks with pathogens in a quest to cause severe disability, disease, and even death to potential enemies in unsuspecting ways.

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