Last week, President Donald Trump submitted to Congress his FY26 "skinny" budget request, which proposes $18 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The "skinny" budget request is a summary of budget proposals that presidents often release in advance of their traditional budget request, which includes all spending and revenue projections. However, House Cancer Caucus Co-Chairs Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) are circulating a Dear Colleague letter advocating for $7.93 billion in FY26 funding (a $710 million increase) for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Urge your members of Congress to sign onto the letter using ASTRO's convenient grassroots tool.

According to the letter, over two million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2025 and about 618,000 people will lose their lives as a result. The Dear Colleague letter also highlights the significant benefits of Congress' past support for cancer research investment. Since 1991, the overall rate of cancer-related deaths has declined 34 percent while 4.5 million lives have been saved. Additionally, 18 million Americans are alive today thanks to the medical breakthroughs supported by NCI research.