This afternoon, by a vote of 336-87, the House passed the Fiscal Year 2012 Department of Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 2219). The bill includes funding for critical national security needs while also providing essential funding for health and quality of life programs for the men and women of the Armed Services and their families.

The final bill includes more than $223 million for cancer research, including $12.8 million for the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) that funds colorectal cancer research.

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Walter Pincus’s latest article published by the Washington Post criticizes the health research funding in the defense appropriations bill as both earmarked funding and unneeded duplicative funding. He is wrong.
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This week the House Appropriations Committee approved $223 million for cancer research, including $12.8 million for the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) that funds colorectal cancer research. Next week, the full House will consider the bill.

During consideration of the bill by the full House, there may be amendments offered to eliminate or reduce this important funding. Keep reading for more information on why the PRCRP funding is important and what you can do to help ensure the funding stays in the fiscal year 2012 defense appropriations bill.

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On Wednesday March 9, advocates from all across the country are heading to the hill to talk to Congress as part of Fight Colorectal Cancer’s annual Call-on Congress lobby day. You can join them in the fight from your home or office. We’ve put together everything you need to be a virtual lobbyist.

The Virtual Lobby Day is an opportunity for patients, survivors, caregivers, health care providers, and researchers across the country to join together with one voice to tell Congress that you believe that the time has come for Congress to make colorectal cancer a top legislative priority!

Between your phone calls and the in-person visits from advocates who are in DC, Congress will hear us loud and clear. Join us today, and raise your voice.

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I’ve just spent three great days in Washington reviewing grants for the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program, part of the Department of Defense.

Our panel of scientists and consumer reviewers worked hard, and I learned a lot from the scientists on the panel who were all experts in their fields.  It felt good to know that there some really wonderful ideas out there moving cancer research forward and that my critiques and scores will help decide the best of the best to receive funding.

The experience made the hairy early-morning drive to the airport through more than three feet of snow well worth it. Read the rest of this entry »