ACS CAN Calls on Members of Congress to Place Higher Priority on Cancer in Final Spending Bill
WASHINGTON – September 21, 2011 – Following is a statement from Christopher W. Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), about today’s Senate Appropriations Committee vote on the bill to fund the Department of Health and Human Services:
“The bill that passed out of committee today could slow progress in the fight to defeat cancer by cutting federal funding for cancer research for the second straight year.
“The bill would cut the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by $190 million, reducing research grants and delaying the discovery of potential breakthroughs in new treatments for cancer.
“We are mindful of the current budget environment, but sustaining robust funding for cancer research must be a national priority, and we urge Congress to restore full funding for the NIH and the National Cancer Institute in a final spending bill.
“Despite the tough budget environment, ACS CAN is pleased that the committee reaffirmed its commitment to key cancer prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will help save lives and avoid the high cost of treating advanced disease.
“Cancer still kills 1,500 Americans every day. Patients waiting for new treatments and therapies can’t afford to wait for a better budget environment, while potential discoveries are left to languish in the labs.”
The vote comes just days before 600 cancer advocates from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district head to Washington, D.C. to lobby their members of Congress in support of funding for cancer research and prevention programs.
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]
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