Brian Higgins is a member of the United States House of Representatives serving New York’s 26th congressional district, which includes portions of Erie and Niagara Counties.
Widely accepted as the principal architect of waterfront development in Buffalo and Western New York, Brian led the fight for a quarter-billion dollar federal relicensing settlement from the New York Power Authority that continues to finance the transformation of Buffalo's long-neglected Inner and Outer Harbor waterfront areas. In our nation’s capital, Brian is an advocate for policies important to our regional and national economies. Brian is an avowed supporter of increased funding for biomedical research – an area creating jobs throughout the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus – and remains a strong voice for robust infrastructure investment, for “nation building here at home.”
Brian is a supporter of the Affordable Care Act recognizing the law was a beginning, not an end to expanding, improving, and providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans. He supports legislation aimed at bringing down the cost of prescription drug prices and is a lead sponsor of a bill that would allow people ages 50-64 to buy into Medicare early.
As Co-Chair of the House of Representatives Cancer Caucus, Brian works with his colleagues to support substantial federal investments in medical research, funding benefiting Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus here in Western New York and supporting families fighting horrible diseases and conditions across the nation. He is also a lead sponsor of the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act, which requires health insurance companies to provide the same coverage for new, promising orally-administered anti-cancer medication as it does for traditional intravenous chemotherapy.
Brian remains at the forefront of today’s top health discussions ranging from improving mental health services to seeking solutions to combat the opioid epidemic, as a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.