More than 600 cancer patients, survivors, caretakers, volunteers and staff from across the country convened recently in Washington, DC for the annual ACS CAN Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. Constituents from all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam) and nearly every congressional district met with their lawmakers, urging Congress to support lifesaving policies that help prevent and fight cancer. In their 484 meetings in House and Senate offices in a single day, ACS CAN volunteers had three asks of their lawmakers:
Since Lobby Day, 61 Representatives and 10 Senators have signed on to support these bills. This list will continue to grow as volunteers follow-up with Members and their staffs and once Congress is back in session post-election. Please join us by taking these messages to your lawmakers. We made a lot of progress this Lobby Day, but we still need your voice in this fight.
After months of delay and hard negotiations, Congress has finally passed a funding bill! The bill includes a small increase for cancer research and prevention programs.