The Honorable Jaime Herrera Beutler: Prioritizing Cancer Research Funding

Age: 42
U.S. Representative for Washington’s 3rd District

There has not been a person who hasn’t been directly or indirectly affected by cancer. For me, cancer took the life of my grandmother. She battled breast cancer successfully once, but then it came back, and ultimately, she lost the battle. My grandmother’s experience with cancer, along with the stories of countless others, has shaped my approach to health policy.

As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that determines funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), I’ve worked to increase funding for critical research for the prevention and treatment of various types of cancer. This includes a $488 million increase this year for the NCI, which is vital to advancing cancer research. Another important area is increased access to molecular diagnostic testing– an essential step in choosing the correct treatment for an individual with cancer. In addition to ensuring robust funding for the NIH, it is important to provide substantial resources for the cancer prevention efforts within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our goal should be to prevent someone from getting cancer in the first place, or at the very least that every community has access to early detection resources.

In addition to putting robust funding in place for cancer prevention efforts, I have championed legislation in Congress to facilitate increased research for several cancers. For example, lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer among men and women in the United States. One legislative response I have cosponsored is the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act, which accelerates research into the prevention and treatment of lung cancer specifically for women. I’m also championing the Fairness for Kids with Cancer Act, which will provide funding for research to reduce childhood cancer rates across the country.

To all of the scientists, physicians, and others working in the medical research community across the country who have helped us make so much progress against cancer, I say, keep up the fight. I am encouraged by all the advances that have been made in cancer prevention, screening, early detection, diagnostics, and treatments, but we still have so far to go. I’m ready to partner with anyone who shares this common goal of ending cancer as we know it.