House Appropriators Advance Funding Bill That Supports Early Detection Programs, Research Benefiting Millions
WASHINGTON, DC – Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, commends members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee for advancing legislation to increase funding for critical breast cancer programs but cautions against the broader trend of decreasing public health funding.
The House Committee on Appropriations cleared an important hurdle in funding programs within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for fiscal year 2027 (FY27).
“The Susan G. Komen Center for Public Policy thanks the members of the House Appropriations Committee and breast cancer advocates who have fought for stronger investment in federal programs that support expanded access to screening and early detection, and cancer research to foster the development of new treatments, technologies and ultimately the cures,” said Molly Guthrie, vice president of policy and advocacy at Susan G. Komen.
Komen thanks the Committee for including:
- A $2 million increasefor 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 6.6 million women, diagnosing nearly 83,000 invasive breast cancers and over 26,000 premalignant breast lesions.
- Level funding for the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, National Program of Cancer Registries and Breast Cancer Awareness for Young Women housed within the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control to aid in efforts to prevent cancer, find cancer early, and improve the health of cancer survivors.
- A $110 million increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which has played a role in every major cancer prevention, detection and treatment advancement, while also leading biomedical research breakthroughs for many other diseases for decades.
- An $8.5 million increase for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, $6 million of which will bolster funding for the Initiative for Improving Native American Cancer Outcomes to examine differences in incidence and mortality rates.
- Level funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to support the development of transformative, high-impact solutions for our country’s most challenging health programs.
- Language exploring utilization, access and cost-sharing trends associated with diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging.
- Language directing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSFT) to use pre-2009 recommendations to allow for the continuation of no-cost coverage of annual screening mammography for women aged 40 and over.
- Language encouraging the NCI to invest in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) research to discover better treatments and cures.
“While we applaud these efforts on behalf of the breast cancer community, we are concerned by the broader trend of this bill that cuts funding for other critical programs under the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Office of Minority Health and the Office of Women’s Health,” Guthrie said. “Komen urges Congress to reconsider these proposed cuts as the FY27 process continues because allowing them to take effect would have a devastating impact on the public health of this country and slow critical research.”
