WASHINGTON December 17, 2011 Congress today passed an FY 2012 omnibus spending bill that includes a nearly $300 million increase in research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The proposal also protects funding for cancer prevention and control programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Following is a statement from Christopher W. Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):
Families affected by cancer are applauding Congress for making cancer research a national priority.
Tough budget environments call for tough decisions. But members of Congress recognize that cancer doesn 't wait until it is a convenient time to fight it, and have committed this country to defeating this disease by increasing funding for research that is crucial to new breakthroughs.
Patients and survivors waiting for new treatments and therapies will have renewed hope thanks to funding that will help to capitalize on past progress and lead to new therapies and treatments that will help to eliminate death and suffering related to cancer.
More than 12 million cancer survivors are alive today thanks to past investments in research. As the largest funder of cancer research in this country, the federal government 's role is critical in our ability as a nation to covert past success into future strides.
We are very pleased with this appropriations legislation and hope it is indicative of a long-term commitment by Congress to make cancer a disease people can live with, rather than die from. With 1 out of 2 men and 1 out of 3 women expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, defeating this disease must remain at the top of our national priority list.
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 Info, Contact:
Alissa Crispino or Steve 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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