Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly known as the Institute of Medicine, has found Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) to be a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected patients ; Whereas between 836,000 and 2,500,000 individuals of all ages, races, and sexes in the United States are believed to be afflicted with ME/CFS, with millions more afflicted by ME/CFS worldwide, and the vast majority of individuals with ME/CFS are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed; Whereas ME/CFS is approximately 4 times more prevalent in women than in men; Whereas ME/CFS is a chronic disease with no known cure and leaves 1/4 of individuals with ME/CFS housebound or bedbound for extended periods of time; Whereas 50 to 75 percent of individuals with ME/CFS cannot work or attend school; Whereas medical expenses and lost productivity related to ME/CFS cost the economy of the United States an estimated $17,000,000,000 to $24,000,000,000 annually; Whereas the cause of ME/CFS is unknown, there is no diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and there is no treatment for ME/CFS that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration; Whereas NAM has noted a paucity of research on ME/CFS and that more research is essential ; Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called ME/CFS America’s Hidden Health Crisis ; Whereas individuals with ME/CFS struggle to find doctors to care for them, and ME/CFS is included in the curricula of fewer than 1/3 of medical schools; Whereas in recognition of the dearth of research on ME/CFS and the profound impact that the disease has on individuals with ME/CFS and their loved ones and caretakers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is committed to unraveling the underlying biologic cause(s) of ME/CFS as swiftly as possible, and promoting research that will inform the development of effective strategies for treatment and prevention of this devastating condition