Appropriations Watch: The Latest on Cancer Funding
With a fiscal year deadline looming at the end of the month and the risk of a government shutdown, September is full of markups, hearings, and budget deliberations.
The House Appropriations Committee voted along party lines this week to pass its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Labor-HHS funding bill out of committee. This follows Senate appropriators passing their version out of committee at the end of July.
Below is an overview of funding levels that we are closely monitoring - and the differences between chambers.
National Cancer Institute (NCI):
The good news is that both the House and Senate funding bills provide slight increases for NCI. While the levels are less than we hoped for, this is a monumental achievement for cancer advocates, following the Trump Administration's call for $18 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would have a devastating impact on cancer research and progress.
The House bill would fund NCI at $7.272 billion, a $48 million increase over current levels. The Senate version calls for $7.374 billion, an increase of $150 million.
Childhood Cancer STAR Act:
Included in NCI funding, the House bill allocates $35 million for the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, Research (STAR) Act. This would be a $5 million increase and is higher than the Senate version. STAR Act funding expands opportunities for childhood cancer research, improves efforts to identify and track childhood cancer incidences, and enhances the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors.
Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI):
Also within NCI funding, the House bill includes $55 million for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI), which is a $5 million increase. A key component of CCDI is the Molecular Characterization Initiative, which provides data analysis of certain childhood and adolescent cancers at the time of diagnosis to help doctors select the best and most appropriate treatment - and enables researchers to learn much more about the origins and drivers of these cancers.
Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program:
The House and Senate committees both approved full funding of $12.6 million for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Kids First is helping researchers uncover new insights into the biology of childhood cancers and congenital abnormalities.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control:
The House bill provides a $7.5 million increase for these CDC programs, for a total of $417.5 million. In comparison, the Senate bill level-funded these CDC programs, maintaining last year's budget of $410 million.
The president's budget requested a complete elimination of the CDC cancer programs, which would have a massively detrimental impact on screening and early detection efforts and survivorship care improvement. We are relieved and grateful that lawmakers are standing by these vital cancer prevention and control programs.
What's next?
Although these bills have moved through committee, there's still a long way to go with the appropriations process. Most policy experts agree that it is highly unlikely a complete budget will be passed by the end of the month, necessitating a short-term spending bill in order to keep the government open while negotiations continue.
We'll continue speaking up and working with our coalition partners to urge lawmakers to support the strongest possible funding for biomedical research through these programs.
Your voice matters: During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a concrete action you can take is calling or writing your Senators and Representative with the message that federal investment in cancer research saves lives and must remain a priority of the nation's healthcare agenda.
Thank you for lending your voice at this critical moment to ensure Congress understands the urgent need to protect and strengthen funding for lifesaving research.