Durbin Bill Makes Medical Research a Top National Priority

WASHINGTON, DC – January 28, 2015 – “We commend Sen. Durbin for introducing the American Cures Act, a bill that would take steps to create a mandatory dedicated funding stream for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans Medical & Prosthetics Research Program. The bill would adjust budget caps laid out in the Budget Control Act to allow for five percent annual funding increases over ten years, a much-needed infusion of funding that is vital to our nation’s ability to fight back against cancer.

“The proposal would help to put funding back on track toward levels that would have been maintained if Congress had appropriated funds year over year that kept pace with medical inflation.

“We are hopeful that Sen. Durbin’s bill will prioritize cancer research and prevention, as more than 1,600 Americans are still dying from the disease every day. At this critical moment of opportunity, when our understanding of cancer genetics has the potential to be translated into new early detection tests and therapies, robust and sustained funding is critical.

“ACS CAN calls on senators to support this important piece of legislation and help make the fight to eliminate death and suffering from cancer a top national priority.”

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
Phone: (202) 661-5772 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

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