ASTRO joined members of One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) in a letter urging congressional appropriators to prioritize funding cancer research and prevention programs in the Fiscal Year 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. The coalition, comprised of over 50 public interest groups, calls for increased federal investment for the NCI, NIH, ARPA-H and the CDC.

While Congress only just completed work on FY24 funding legislation in late March, work is already underway on FY25 appropriations. ASTRO is proud to join OVAC partners in supporting the following funding levels:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH): $51.3 billion
  • Represents $4.2 billion over current funding.
  • Allows NIH budget to keep pace with national research benchmarks and allow for meaningful growth.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): $7.934 billion
  • Represents $710 million over current funding.
  • Allows NCI to keep pace with national benchmarks and allow for a reasonable 5% growth.
  • NCI receives more research grant applications than any other Institute or Center at NIH, by far.
  • Scientific demand has far outpaced NCI’s budget, meaning that five out of every six proposals go unfunded every year.
• Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H): at least $1.5 billion
  • The agency runs ‘high-potential, high-impact’ projects.
  • Robust funding for ARPA-H cannot come at the expense of investments at NCI or core NIH programs.
• Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): $472.4 million
  • This represents $62.3 million over current funding.
  • The DCPC provides key resources to states and communities to promote effective cancer prevention and control practices.
  • CDC’s cancer programs help ensure access to life-saving cancer screenings particularly for individuals with limited income or who are un(der)insured.

ASTRO continues to prioritize robust federal investment into life-saving cancer research projects across the federal government and will encourage legislators to support these levels during Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, May 20-21, 2024; along with prior auth reform, and the ROCR payment program.