Don’t Cut Funding For Cancer Research and Prevention

Here is the text of a letter I wrote to my congressman, the Honorable Rep. Mike Coffman:

Dear Congressman Coffman,

Tomorrow, your and your colleagues in the House of Representatives are scheduled to vote on H.R. 1 – a budget proposal for FY 2011 that makes critical cuts to cancer research and programs.

Compared to last year’s funding levels, this bill would cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget by $1.3 Billion and the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) budget by $1.6 Billion.

The CDC budget funds critical cancer screening and prevention programs like the National Comprehensive Cancer Control program and National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This 21 percent cut will have a devastating impact on numerous proven cancer programs that save lives.

Research at NIH is also a critical tool in the fight against cancer. A 5.2 percent cut to the NIH’s budget will slow down attempts to find the cures of tomorrow through biomedical research.

I understand that Congress and the Administration are facing a number of budgetary constraints in the current economic environment. But cutting funding for our critical cancer prevention and research programs is not an effective way to fight a disease that costs our country more than $268 Billion annually.

I’m passionate about fighting cancer. The disease killed my Dad in 2009 and is currently trying to kill several of my good friends. Cancer is the leading killer in the world, and 1 in 3 people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. 28 million people are living with cancer today.

I urge you to vote NO to HR1.

Thank you for your service to our State and our Country.

Yours most sincerely,

Erik Pearson
Aurora, CO