As the September 30th government funding deadline nears, more than 700 cancer patients, survivors and advocates from every corner of the United States, including Washington, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico, are heading to Capitol Hill to make their voices heard. Representing nearly every congressional district in the country, they will ask lawmakers to prioritize cancer research and prevention programs, along with other proven cancer-fighting policies, highlighting the real-life impact these investments have on patients, families and communities nationwide.
As part of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day, advocates will gather outside the Capitol Tuesday morning ahead of individual meetings with members to remind Congress that the promise of tomorrow’s cures is in their hands as they determine funding for federal cancer research and prevention in the coming weeks. Thanks to the federal government’s substantial and steady increases in cancer research funding over the last 30 years, discovery and innovation has led to a 34% decline in cancer mortality rates. However, due to dramatic and unprecedented proposed reductions in research funding, staff eliminations, and policy shifts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), future cancer cures are in jeopardy if lawmakers don’t act. The administration has recommended an $18 billion cut to the NIH, taking funding back to levels seen in 2003, and as far back as the mid-1980s when considering biomedical inflation. Thankfully, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have rejected these proposed cuts to NIH and NCI, but the fight is far from over. Lawmakers must continue to push for the highest possible increases for cancer research and prevention in a full budget bill.
“With more than 2 million people in America expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2025, it’s more important than ever that we continue funding cancer research and prevention,” said Shane Jacobson, CEO of the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN. “Federal investment in medical research and prevention has enabled millions of Americans to overcome, and in some cases avoid, disease and live happy, healthy lives. Recent breakthroughs in cancer screening, immunotherapy and many other areas are radically transforming patient care. Additionally, investments in biomedical research leads to the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs across the nation that help fuel local economies.”