Cancer survivors, advocates rally for research funding on Capitol Hill

(NEXSTAR) – Cancer survivors, family members and other advocates rallied on Capitol Hill Tuesday for more research funding from the federal government.

For Morgan Newman, who traveled from Norwalk, Iowa, to attend, the cause is deeply personal.

At age 24, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

“It’s a life disruptor,” Newman said. “Everything changes.”

Newman defied the odds and is now nine years cancer-free.

“Without early detection and cancer research, I wouldn’t be here today telling my story,” she said.

Some lawmakers joined the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to rally in support of the cause.

“Rightfully, we come here today to say what can we do?” Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) said to the crowd. “And Washington is a pretty good place to start.”

“We have to stand together and fight together to make sure the NIH and the CDC have the resources they need to finish this fight,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) told the rallygoers amid cheers.

Some advocates and Democratic lawmakers at the rally expressed concern about the future of federal funds for cancer research.

“This administration is about cutting funding,” said Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama).

Democrats who spoke at the event argued funding for the National Cancer Institute within the National Institutes of Health needs to be protected. According to a budget request for the 2026 fiscal year, the Office of Management and Budget proposed cutting roughly a third, or about $2.7 billion, of the National Cancer Institute’s budget.

Congress’ government funding proposal keeps the National Cancer Institute’s funding steady.

The White House says any concerns over cuts are unfounded.

“The fact of the matter is that NIH funding allocated to cancer research has not been cut or changed under the Trump administration, which has cut wasteful DEI and other ideological pet project grants to free up money that will now be reallocated to more promising uses of taxpayer research funding,” said Kush Desai, White House spokesman.

“NIH continues to invest significantly in bold and innovative cancer research,” a spokesperson for NIH said in a statement. “Ending the scourge of cancer is one of our highest priorities, as reflected in the National Cancer Institute’s budget of more than $7 billion — the largest of any NIH institute or center. The grants that were canceled account for just 0.7% of NCI’s overall budget.”

The cancer research advocates visiting the Capitol this week have been meeting with lawmakers from both parties, said Shane Jacobson, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

“There’s a lot of momentum around our vision to accelerate funding, increase funding for cancer research,” Jacobson said.

For Morgan Newman, she plans to continue her push to keep cancer research a priority.

“We have a lot of work to do, and people shouldn’t die from this disease anymore,” she said.