Bills support critical investments in breast cancer research and safety-net programs
Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced two bills setting funding levels for programs within the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) for fiscal year 2026 (FY26). Susan G. Komen’s Center for Public Policy commends the Committee for rejecting devastating cuts proposed for programs that are extremely important to the breast cancer community.
Specifically, Komen thanks the Committee for providing:
- $200.8 million (level funding from FY25) for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a vital safety net program that has provided access to breast health services for millions of women without adequate health insurance. Since 1991, NBCCEDP-funded programs have served more than 6.5 million women, diagnosing nearly 90,000 invasive breast cancers and over 25,000 premalignant breast lesions.
- $48.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (a $400 million increase from FY25) and $7.4 billion for the National Cancer Institute (a $150 million increase from FY25), which have played a role in every major cancer prevention, detection and treatment advance, while also delivering scientific breakthroughs for many other diseases for decades.
- $130 million (level funding from FY25) for the Breast Cancer Research Program, a critical Department of Defense health research program that challenges scientists to pursue innovative and high-impact research, explore new paradigms for critical discoveries and make unparalleled advancements in breast cancer.
Komen has been actively advocating for decades to maximize funding for these programs and will continue to do so as the FY26 appropriations proceeds this fall. The bills must still pass the full Senate and separately be considered and passed by the House. Breast cancer patients today, and all those who may be diagnosed in the future, rely on a robust federal investment in these programs and we hope that the final FY26 appropriations bills continue this investment.
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