WASHINGTON, D.C. -- July 24, 2009 -- “The House of Representatives today took a big step forward in the fight against cancer with passage of the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. This important legislation would provide $30.9 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including $5.15 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and $349.5 million for cancer prevention and control programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The funding increases for the NIH and the NCI exceed the 3.3 percent estimated rate of biomedical inflation, ensuring that ongoing lifesaving cancer research will continue. The bill would support the development of new tools for early detection and cancer fighting treatments that are still in the early stages. The bill also would provide for continued support for important CDC cancer control programs, including the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and colorectal screening and education, which are proven to save lives and reduce health care costs.
“We thank lawmakers, including Appropriations Committee Chairman Obey, for supporting this effort that will continue to fund important cancer research and early detection programs. We encourage the Senate to pass this lifesaving legislation in a timely manner. Only with proper funding can the NIH, the NCI and the CDC conduct their important work to conquer a disease that will kill an estimated 560,000 Americans and cost the economy more than $228 billion this year.”
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit https://www.fightcancer.org/.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Christina Saull
Phone: (202) 585-3250
Email: [email protected]
