Cancer research has saved millions of American lives. What Congress does this year will determine whether that progress continues for the patients waiting on the next breakthrough.

As cancer research advocates head to Capitol Hill for the AACR-AACI Joint Hill Day on Thursday, May 14, we ask you to amplify their message. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Protect the Future of Cancer Research: Tell Congress to Reject NIH Cuts

Eighty-nine percent of Americans support continued federal funding for NIH, according to a national poll in September 2025. Across regions, generations, and political affiliations, the message is unmistakable: medical research must remain a national priority, and the fight against cancer demands our continued commitment.

Why This Matters

For more than 75 years, NIH has powered the discoveries that save American lives. Federal investment in cancer research has transformed once-deadly diagnoses into treatable conditions, delivered new therapies to patients in need, and given families more time together. Since 1991, the U.S. cancer death rate has fallen by 34%. More than 18.6 million Americans are alive today after a cancer diagnosis: parents, children, partners, friends. That progress reflects decades of shared commitment from lawmakers in both parties.

NIH is also one of the most effective investments in the federal budget. Every dollar generates $2.57 in economic activity, supporting more than 390,000 jobs and $94 billion in output across the country. The return is paid in lives saved, cures discovered, and American leadership in medical science.

That progress is now at risk.

The President's FY2027 budget proposes cutting NIH by nearly 12%. A reduction of that scale would slow scientific momentum, drive early-career investigators from the field, and delay the breakthroughs patients urgently need. It would weaken cancer centers in every state at a moment when scientific opportunity has never been greater. Lost ground is not easily regained, and patients cannot afford to wait.

This American legacy must endure, for science, for patients, and for every family whose future depends on it.

How You Can Help

Last year, your voices were heard. When the FY2026 President's Budget proposed cutting NIH by roughly 40%, advocates across the country flooded their congressional offices with calls, emails, and visits. Lawmakers listened. On a bipartisan basis, Congress rejected those devastating cuts and reaffirmed the foundational role of NIH in American medical progress. That outcome was not inevitable. It happened because constituents made the case, one call at a time, that cancer research is a national priority.

The work is not finished. Call or email your members of Congress today and urge them to:

Provide at least $51.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health to sustain lifesaving research and keep pace with biomedical inflation. Anything less stalls promising science, halts clinical trials, and denies patients the breakthroughs they need.

Provide at least $7.999 billion for the National Cancer Institute to protect progress against cancer and continue momentum in prevention, early detection, and treatment. Anything less means slower research, delayed trials, and new therapies pushed further out of reach for patients who cannot afford to wait.

While emails matter, calls carry more weight. Speaking directly with a staffer, or even leaving a voicemail, makes a real impact. Every call is logged. Every voice matters.

Your Voice Can Make the Difference

This fight will be won the way the last one was, by constituents who refuse to stay silent.

Bipartisan momentum is building. Public support is overwhelming. Your voice helped move Congress once. It must be heard again.

Join the 89% of Americans who support NIH. Stand up for science. Stand with patients. Speak out for the future of medical research.

Take action now.

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #FundNIH, #FundNCI, #AACRontheHill, and #AACIontheHill. Thank you for your advocacy.