WASHINGTON, D.C. -- March 17, 2006 -- “The American Cancer Society through its sister advocacy organization the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and the 71 other members of the United States Senate who voted to provide an additional $7 billion to the budget for Fiscal Year 2007, some of which will be used to increase funding for health programs. We would also like to recognize and thank Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for leading efforts to incorporate in the budget resolution an amendment that included $390 million in additional funds specifically for cancer research and programs.
The Feinstein-Mikulski-Collins amendment calls for the addition of $240 million to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), $4.6 million for the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and more than $117 million for cancer programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including $48 million for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and $33 million for the Comprehensive Cancer Control Initiative. It also requests $25 million more for nursing programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Earlier this week, nearly 10,000 Society staff and volunteers contacted their Senators asking them to support these two amendments. These individuals personify the cancer struggle and allow us to reach beyond the beltway and remember that this disease reaches every corner of every congressional district in the nation.
Sens. Specter, Harkin, Feinstein, Mikulski and Collins have been longstanding advocates for health care and cancer. They and their colleagues’ actions yesterday place the Senate on the side of cancer patients, survivors and their families and the American public who has stated time and again that cancer is the disease they fear most. This is in contrast to action last fall when Congress voted to cut the budget of the National Institutes of Health for the first time in 35 years, and the President’s recent budget proposal to reduce NCI’s budget by $40 million and cut funding for all cancer programs at the CDC.
The Society and our millions of volunteers stand ready to continue this momentum and help all our congressional champions as they work to return the nation to a place of leadership in the battle against cancer. More than 10,000 of the Society’s advocates will unite on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. this Sept. 19 and 20 for Celebration on the Hill 2006 for this exact purpose. We have made such incredible progress in this fight over the past two decades and there are now more than 10 million Americans living today who are cancer survivors. The Senate honored them and the millions that have lost their battle to cancer yesterday by standing up for the programs and research that are preventing, detecting and treating it. We hope the United States House of Representatives will do the same.”
The American Cancer Society is partnering with ACS CAN, its sister advocacy organization, to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across America. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org. ACS CAN, a nonprofit, non-partisan advocacy organization, uses voter education and issue campaigns aimed at influencing candidates and lawmakers to support laws and policies that will help people fight cancer. ACS CAN does not endorse candidates and is not a political action committee (PAC). For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Colleen Wilber
Phone: (202) 661-5772
Email: [email protected]
