WASHINGTON, D.C. June 7, 2016 The Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education marked up its FY 2017 spending bill today including a $2 billion increase for medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a $216 million increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The proposal also holds flat funding for cancer prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) President Chris Hansen follows: Senators should be commended for prioritizing investment in medical research in a tough budget environment. The $216 million increase for the NCI builds on an increase in the FY16 budget that passed with bipartisan support. The National Cancer Moonshot Initiative has generated tremendous national appetite to accelerate new discoveries in cancer in this country. We urge senators to come together to find a way to supplement the discretionary appropriations with mandatory funding for cancer research in the biomedical innovation package. At a time when the country is poised to make tremendous advances in our understanding of the more than 200 diseases collectively known as cancer, significant year over year funding increases are paramount to our ability to maximize the potential for new discovery. Thanks to past federal investment in cancer research, many cancers no longer carry a certain death sentence. But much work remains and robust funding is critical to our ability as a nation to leverage past knowledge gained through federal investment as scientists work to develop targeted detection tests, treatments and therapies that are tailored to specific genetic mutations advances that have the potential to not only extend years of survival, but quality of life during those years as well. Everyone is #OneDegree from cancer, whether you or a relative, friend or coworker have been diagnosed. As part of our OneDegree campaign launched last year, ACS CAN volunteers continue to meet with their Members of Congress to stress the critical importance of prioritizing progress for a disease that is expected to kill 595,000 Americans this year more than 1,600 today. 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 to prioritize cancer research and prevention. 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 Allison Miller American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Phone: 202-661-5772 or 202-585-3241 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] #Moonshot #cancer #acscan #NIH #NCI