AACR Statement on President Biden’s Budget Proposal

PHILADELPHIA – Today, the AACR issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget proposal:

“The AACR stands in support of President Biden’s reignited Cancer Moonshot to reduce cancer mortality by 50 percent over the next 25 years. The President’s budget for FY 2023 includes some notable proposals to achieve this goal, including investments for precision oncology at the VA, a one-time increase of $20 million for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Center of Excellence to facilitate rapid development of innovative cancer treatments, as well as an increase of $41 million to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s cancer related screening, prevention, and surveillance programs. After the past two years of devastating interruptions in cancer research and patient care, new investments to increase cancer screenings are essential.

However, those initiatives, as well as translational breakthroughs that are needed to achieve President Biden’s goal, will be jeopardized if the foundation of cancer science, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is not adequately funded. The budget request would provide only $6.714 billion for NCI, a cut of $199 million at a time when only one-in-eight cancer research applications are granted, leaving potential breakthroughs out of reach during this era of unrivaled scientific advancement. The AACR will work with our champions in Congress to build on the vital funding increases for NCI that were included in the recently enacted FY 2022 spending bill and calls on the cancer community to support the NCI’s professional judgment budget for FY 2023, which recommends a total funding level of $7.766 billion. With a well-funded NCI, additional tools for screening and prevention, and translational achievements through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), we can better support the shared goal of ultimately ending cancer as we know it.”