President Bush vetoed the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill today. The bill would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 3.1 percent over Fiscal Year 2007.

The Bush Administration has been in a fight with Congress over their domestic spending level and has threatened to veto any bill above what was proposed by his Administration.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, had this to say. “With today’s veto, the president has shown once again how out of touch and out of step he is with the values of America’s families,” he said. “Cancer research, investments in our schools, job training, protecting workers, and many other urgent priorities have all fallen victim to a president who squanders billions of dollars in Iraq but is unwilling to invest in America’s future.” (The Washington Post)

The bill will now be sent back to Congress for a veto override vote.

Last week Congress passed the Labor HHS Appropriations bill. This bill will provide an additional $899 million, a 3.1 percent increase, for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Of this $899 million, $128 million will be allocated to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

President Bush has threatened to veto this spending bill. He has proposed a $480 million cut to NIH. The veto could come as early as today and then it will be sent back to Congress for an override vote sometime between Tuesday and Friday of this week before they leave for Thanksgiving Recess.

I urge you to contact your Member of Congress and ask them to override the President’s veto!

C3 has been told that the conference number for NIH is $899.113 million over FY 07. That would mean the funding level is $29.799 billion or 3.1% over FY 2007. With the global AIDS transfer, the NIH level is $29.999 billion.

The numbers are higher than both bills passed in the House and Senate. More details to follow.

The Senate passed the Labor HHS Appropriations bill, which includes funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by a vote of 75 – 19. President Bush has already threatened to veto the $606 billion Appropriations bill.

The NIH would receive an additional $1 billion dollars above the Fiscal Year 2007 budget. Under the President’s proposal the agency would have been cut by $289 million.

The bill will now go to conference where the House and the Senate will work out a compromise. They hope to send the compromised bill to the President by early November.

This will be the first of the 12 Appropriations bills sent to the White House.

from left: Joe Arite (C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition), Fran Campion (Colon Cancer Alliance), Andrew Porter (Men’s Health Network), Dr. Ralph T. Guild, M.D. (American College of Gastroenterologists), Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK), and Peter Blanchard (Constituent and Colorectal Cancer Survivor) and son

C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition was proud to help introduce The Colorectal Cancer Screening and Detection Act of 2007 (HR 3060) on Tuesday. A press conference was held on Capitol Hill.

HR 3060 will provide the same protections to non-Medicare beneficiaries that are already provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Congressman Boren lost his mother to colon cancer nine years ago, and personally understands the need for early detection of the disease.

“Cancer unfortunately has affected millions of lives across the United States,” Boren said. “Coverage is required for many other equally important preventative cancer screenings across the nation. With early detection leading to a 90 percent survival rate, a simple and proven procedure could save the lives of so many (of our) loved ones,” Boren said.

Studies have shown that doctors many times do not refer their patients for tests if those tests are not covered by insurance.

“Americans deserve these life saving medical benefits and should be able to count on these protections,” Boren said.

Currently, 22 states, including Texas and the District of Columbia, require coverage. Oklahoma does not currently require coverage of these cancer screenings.

Congressman Ralph Hall (R-TX) has joined Congressman Boren in his fight.

Joe Arite, Policy and Grassroots Manager for C3