WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 24, 2015 – House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education are scheduled to markup FY 2016 spending bills this week that include increases for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and maintain important funding for cancer prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A statement from Statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) President Chris Hansen follows:
“Patients, survivors and their loved ones are applauding Members of Congress for placing high value on the fight to defeat cancer in this country – proposing a $1.2 billion and $2 billion increase for the NIH in the House and Senate budgets respectively, surpassing the President’s budget request.
“At a time when lawmakers are being forced to make tough choices given budget constraints, Appropriations leadership have acknowledged the importance of holding our ground in efforts to prevent and detect cancer early and advancing our understanding of and ability to develop tests and treatments for the more than 200 diseases collectively known as cancer.
“Everyone is #OneDegree from cancer, whether you or a relative, friend or coworker have been diagnosed. By ensuring necessary funding is available Members of Congress are prioritizing progress for a disease that is expected to kill nearly 590,000 Americans this year – more than 1,600 today.
“We are however disappointed that the House bill includes proposed funding cuts to the operating funds for health care exchanges, as well as cuts to funding for innovative demonstrations that are examining ways to provide better quality care to patients, as access to quality health care is critical to saving lives from cancer.
“As the FY 2016 budget process moves forward, we urge Congress to figure out a way to fund the nation’s priorities and stop cutting programs that are critical to our nation’s health. To truly impact the cancer burden, Congress must prioritize access to proven prevention and treatments and invest in research that promotes further discovery.”
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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