WASHINGTON, D.C. June 20, 2013 -- People with cancer and their families applaud the proposal by Senate appropriators to restore cancer research funding in the fiscal year 2014 spending bill. Reinvesting in cancer research, prevention and health programs that promote access to care comes at a critical moment when the country has a great opportunity to capitalize on past progress.
Further sequestration cuts would continue to threaten groundbreaking medical research and critical programs imperative to the fight to eliminate death and suffering from cancer. By proposing to turn off those automatic cuts in the FY 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, senators are laying the groundwork to fund urgent national priorities such as the fight to defeat cancer, which kills more than 580,000 people in America each year.
The mindless across-the-board cuts caused by sequestration that took effect earlier this year were a failure of the legislative process. This latest proposal represents responsible legislating. Sustained and robust investment in medical research at the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and cancer centers across the country will help the United States to maintain its preeminence in the research field.
Today 's proposal is also crucial for proven programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that enable hundreds of thousands of people to access affordable breast, cervical and colon cancer screenings, as well as proven methods for quitting tobacco use. It would also offer important support for implementation of critical patient protections that are improving access to quality, affordable health care nationwide.
ACS CAN urges lawmakers of both political parties to work together to prioritize an issue that affects millions of Americans. Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) should be commended for her leadership in restoring funding and making cancer a top priority. The Senate proposal represents an earnest effort by lawmakers to fulfill their obligation to represent the needs of their constituents by adequately funding research and prevention programs and critical patient protections that will help to defeat cancer.
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 www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Alissa Crispino or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
202-661-5772 or 202-661-5711
[email protected] or [email protected]
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