Higgins hails $1 billion federal investment in cancer research

Today, the White House announced plans for a $1 billion investment toward the National Cancer Moonshot initiative aimed at the elimination of cancer, as we know it. Under the proposal, $195 million in new cancer research will be dedicated this year, and the president will propose $755 million for cancer research in his fiscal year 2017 budget due out next week.

Congressman Brian Higgins released the following statement in response:

"For patients and loved ones, a diagnosis of cancer is devastating and still for far too many deadly. Each of us touched by cancer has held hope for a breakthrough, better treatments, and a cure. Today we get one step closer to that goal with a $1 billion commitment to cancer research.

"Cancer is costing lives and money, killing 600,000 Americans and costing over $88 billion and growing in health care expenses in the U.S. each year. For Western New York, home to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and Roswell Park Cancer Institute, one of just 45 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country, this funding provides greater resources to support the great work of scientists right here in our community.

"A budget should be a statement of our priorities and, at long last, this says to the world that the United States is committed to truly leading in the effort to deliver a cancer-free world."

Higgins is a member of the congressional cancer caucus and last year founded the National Institutes of Health Caucus, on which he serves as co-chair, advancing a bipartisan effort to promote investments in biomedical research.

Since first taking office, Higgins has maintained the federal government must do better and lead in finding better treatments and cures for cancer and other debilitating and deadly disease. He is the lead sponsor of H.R. 531, the Accelerating Biomedical Research Act, bipartisan legislation that would add more than $57 billion in new funding to the NIH over the next six years.

Higgins' district includes Roswell Park Cancer Institute.