Update as of December 16, 2022: On December 15, 2022, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through December 23, 2022, avoiding a government shutdown and giving Congress an additional week to finish negotiating critical funding decisions for Fiscal Year 2023. Urge your Members of Congress to pass a full FY2023 funding package as soon as possible to avoid detrimental impacts to the cancer research community.
As expected in the lead-up to midterm elections, Congress today (September 30) passed a continuing resolution (CR) that funds the government through December 16, 2022, avoiding a government shutdown and giving Congress more time to negotiate critical funding decisions for Fiscal Year 2023. This interim federal budget funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Fiscal Year 2022 levels ($45 billion for the NIH and $6.9 billion for the NCI)., The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) calls on Members of Congress to continue to work together to achieve bipartisan support for cancer research with robust, sustained, and predictable funding for NIH and NCI. Federally funded research has led to significant advances in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for patients, leading to nearly 17 million survivors of cancer living in the United States today. Much of the nation’s oncology research and trials depend on federal support and are the primary drivers in the development of new cancer therapies, including rare and pediatric cancers.
For FY 2023, ASCO is asking Congress to provide $49 billion for the NIH, which is an increase of $4.1 billion from FY 2022. Additionally, ASCO supports the NCI’s budget request to Congress for $7.76 billion for the NCI, an increase of $853 million from FY 2022, which includes $216 million for the final year of the original Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Urge lawmakers to support funding for cancer research in FY 2023. Read more below on the two chambers’ funding bills being considered for FY 2023.
Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) user fee programs five-year reauthorization was attached to the CR. The User Fee programs help the FDA to fulfill its mission of protecting public health and accelerating innovation in the industry. The programs are intended to supplement FDA’s congressionally appropriated resources to speed the review of medical products and get treatments to patients quickly. ASCO strongly supported policy riders included in an earlier House-passed bill; however, negotiations stalled in the Senate. ASCO urges Congress to act on the policy riders in the lame duck session. Read more here.
Senate and House Funding Bill Background
The Senate Bill. The Senate FY 2023 appropriations bill would provide $47.96 billion for the NIH – a boost of $2 billion from FY 2022 plus $1 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the new biomedical research agency focused on high-risk, bold, translational research projects. It would also provide $7.2 billion for NCI, which includes $216 million for the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, $50 million for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, $30 million for the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act, and $80 million specifically set aside to improve grant success rates at NCI.
Notably, the Senate bill funds ARPA-H as a standalone agency within NIH but geographically located away from the main NIH campus to ensure its ability to achieve its intended independent culture and mission.
Several other key areas received increased funding within the Senate Bill including funding to promote telehealth usage, reduce tobacco use, and expand social determinants of health activities. It also funds the ASCO-endorsed Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, signed into law in March 2022, to provide comprehensive and evidence-based support to prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care providers.
The House Bill. The lower chamber’s FY 2023 appropriations bill would provide $47.46 billion for the NIH – a boost of $2.46 billion from FY 2022. It would also provide $7.38 billion for the NCI, which includes $216 million for the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, $50 million for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, $30 million for the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act, $10 million for cancer health disparities research, and $200 million specifically set aside to improve grant success rates at NCI. The House bill would provide $2.75 billion for ARPA-H, located within HHS, but not explicitly within the NIH. Also included was language to support the collection of usable social determinants of health data, increase the use of decentralized clinical trials, and improve access to broadband infrastructure and internet access. In addition, the bill includes provisions to increase research for pediatric and rare cancers, as well as increased research on the use of vaccines against cancer.
Additional ASCO advocacy on cancer research funding:
- On May 11, the Association sent testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health detailing NIH and NCI funding recommendations . ASCO cited that a strong commitment to scientific discovery will help the research community continue momentum and sustain the nation’s position as the world leader in biomedical research. Similar testimony was sent to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health on May 26.
- Read ASCO’s March 2022 statement on the President’s FY 2023 budget and our principles for the development of ARPA-H.
Join the ASCO ACT Network to stay current on advocacy opportunities.
