WASHINGTON – April 6, 2011 – An amendment by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) to the FY 2012 budget resolution being marked up today in the House Budget Committee would prohibit funding cuts to cancer and other disease research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Following is a statement from Christopher W. Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):
“This critical amendment would ensure that research to find new cancer screening tools and treatments would not be threatened by funding cuts. As the single largest funder of cancer research in this country, the federal government plays a tremendous role in our ability to eliminate death and suffering related this disease. Federal funding for medical research and cancer prevention programs has had a role in every major advance, helping to save 350 more lives from the disease per day than in 1991.
“We cannot rest on past progress, as 1,500 Americans are still dying each day from cancer, and it’s expected that more than 1.5 million people in America will be diagnosed this year.
“Past federal investments have put the scientific community on the verge of making groundbreaking new discoveries that could accelerate our progress and lead to the prevention of and new treatments for some of the most deadly cancers.
“To fully leverage past investment and ensure that potential discovery in the pipeline is realized, Congress must sustain Cancer Research Funding on an annual basis.
“I commend Representative Wasserman Schultz for her longstanding commitment to issues that affect the cancer community. As a breast cancer survivor, she has long advocated for access to meaningful health care for all Americans and further research to develop tools and therapies for the cancers where we still don’t have answers.”
A recent poll found that more than three-quarters of the public opposes cutting funding for cancer research (77 percent) and prevention programs (76 percent) as part of the effort to reduce federal spending. Public opposition is strong across party lines – more than 60 percent of Republicans, more than 75 percent of Independents and nearly 90 percent of Democrats are opposed to cuts in cancer funding.
ACS CAN volunteers in every state will continue to advocate for federal investment in research that will promote progress in the fight to eliminate death and suffering from 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 Havens or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5772 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
