WASHINGTON, D.C. July 14, 2016 The House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Committee marked up its FY 2017 spending bill today including a $1.25 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a $124 million funding boost for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The bill also includes a $110 million funding cut for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and a $3.5 million cut its Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP).
A statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) President Chris Hansen follows:
"ACS CAN commends Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro's commitment to increase NIH funding. In particular, we appreciate Rep. DeLauro's proposed amendment to fully fund the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative and Rep. Cole's willingness to work with her to fund the Moonshot this year. At a time when the Moonshot has energized and focused the nation on the potential to develop unique targeted detection tests, treatments and therapies, year over year research funding increases are essential. Representative Cole and DeLauro's efforts build on the momentum started last year to return NIH to a path of growth after more than a decade of flat funding.
"Still, research is only one part of a comprehensive approach to reducing cancer incidence and deaths. Prevention is also essential to our ability to maximize progress against this disease – a disease that will be newly diagnosed in more than 1.6 million Americans this year. Committee members are squandering an opportunity to apply what we already know works to prevent cancer by proposing a $110 million cut to the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and a $3.5 million cut to the CDC's Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP).
"The cut to OSH would likely end the CDC's highly effective Tips From Former Smokers media campaign which has led 5 million smokers to attempt to quit smoking and 400,000 smokers to quit for good. OSH leads federal efforts to reduce tobacco-related death and disease by funding activities that help prevent youth from starting to use tobacco and help adult tobacco users to quit.
"This year alone, nearly 50,000 Americans will die of colorectal cancer, many needlessly. The CRCCP provides critical colon cancer education, awareness and screenings to uninsured and underserved populations who are at a higher risk of skipping their colorectal cancer screening. Twenty-four million Americans between the ages of 50 and 75 have not had their recommended colon cancer screening.
"As the FY 2017 budget process moves forward, on behalf of cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones, we urge Congress to find additional resources for the Cancer Moonshot Initiative and restore funding cuts to OSH and CRCCP so they can continue their important cancer prevention work."
About ACS CAN
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.
