More than 700 advocates from across the country joined the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day this year. Several Nevadans made the trip, including volunteers from Reno and Las Vegas.
For Reno attorney Sean McCoy, the advocacy is personal. His mother died of lung cancer during the pandemic. Fighting for research funding is about saving lives, he said.
“What we’re doing here in D.C. is kind of raising the stakes quite a bit,” McCoy said.
In May, the White House proposed a budget cut of approximately $18 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but it faced significant challenges and opposition from Congress, the scientific community, and the courts.
Now, advocates are asking for the highest possible funding increases for cancer research and prevention programs for 2026.
“In 2025, it's estimated we're gonna have 17,540 new cancer diagnoses. That's almost 18,000 people this year in Nevada are gonna hear the words ‘you have cancer.’ Nobody should have to hear those words, and if they do, they shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they're gonna have treatment or they're gonna have care,” McCoy said.
Volunteers met with most of the state’s congressional delegation or their staff on Tuesday. Senator Jacky Rosen, Catherine Cortez Masto and Representatives Dina Titus, Susie Lee, and Steven Horsford supported more funding for cancer research. The exception was Representative Mark Amodei. Neither he nor his staff meet with volunteers.
Advocates also want lawmakers to create a pathway for Medicare to cover multi-cancer early detection tests once they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“It’s a blood test and it'll check for several different types of cancers all at once. This blood draw is gonna be life changing, and life saving for so many people around the world, not just Nevadans,” McCoy said.
Lawmakers were also asked to extend health care tax credits that help make health insurance more affordable for over 85,000 Nevadans with plans through Nevada Health Link.
