President Asks for $1B to Fund Cancer “Moon Shot”

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced a national initiative to find a cure to cancer. Details are beginning to emerge about the plan and the President has requested $1 Billion in new funding over the next two years to boost the effort.  As Congress begins to consider annual appropriations legislation, this initiative will bring cancer research and prevention measures to the forefront.

We are pleased to report that as part of a budget agreement reached in December, the Ovarian Cancer Research Project within the Department of Defense was fully funded at $20 Million after some efforts to eliminate the funding altogether.  National Institute of Health funding was increased and the Centers for Disease Control received a $500,000 increase toward funding their program to promote ovarian cancer awareness.  OCRFA will urge Congress to prioritize ovarian cancer research and education programs and will seek continued funding for FY17. As always, we will need your help to remind Members of Congress how critically important it is that this funding continue. Stay tuned for ways to take action in the coming weeks!