The House Appropriations Committee will vote today to approve its FY 2023 spending bill including a $2.5 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $466 million funding boost for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and $2.75 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency on Health (ARPA-H). The bill increases current funding levels for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cancer screening and early detection programs and for the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, which provides funding for programs that help prevent youth from starting to use tobacco and helps adult tobacco users to quit.
A statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows:
Research
“The House-proposed funding increase for NIH and NCI is precisely the kind of significant year-over-year funding increase necessary to maintain momentum toward new and improved means of preventing, detecting, and treating cancer. It is clear that cancer research does indeed save lives and the scientific community has shown that investment in cancer research is poised to make even more progress, but that work requires resources. We commend the committee for recognizing the importance of this sustained investment, including the ongoing commitment to the creation of ARPA-H. ARPA-H could quickly bridge the gap between the lab and the patient with targeted innovative therapies while simultaneously benefiting from the critical research being done at NIH and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Prevention
“Prevention is essential to reducing suffering and death from cancer and we are pleased to see the Committee recognize the importance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cancer prevention and control programs with an almost $40 million increase in funding. This includes an increase in every line item, including a $10 million increase for cancer screening and diagnostic services under the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides access to lifesaving screenings for individuals who are uninsured and underinsured. Additionally, the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health is funded at $251 million, a $10 million increase over fiscal year 2022 levels.
“On behalf of the more than 1.8 million Americans who will be diagnosed with cancer this year, we thank House Labor-HHS Subcommittee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Ranking Member Tom Cole (R-Okla.) for their steadfast commitment to funding cancer research and prevention, and look forward to working with lawmakers as they move to pass a final appropriations bill that reflects the critical need for medical research and disease prevention across a broad range of priorities, including cancer.”