(September 26, 2008 UPDATE - Washington, DC) The Senate took up the House-passed FY 2009 Continuing Resolution (CR) today. The CR, as passed by the House, funded the NIH and NCI at the FY 2008 level. Senators Reid and Byrd offered a $56 billion economic stimulus package as an amendment to the CR. This package included an additional $1.2 billion for NIH for FY 2009, which is the rough equivalent to the increase contained in the FY 2009 Labor-HHS appropriations bills. The ICC Caucus joined other One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) members in asking its members to call their Senators to urge them to support the stimulus package and the funding provided for the NIH and life-saving cancer research in the package. The Senate voted this morning to limit debate and advance the stimulus package. Unfortunately, the vote fell short (52-42) of the sixty votes needed to advance the package, derailing efforts to increase funding for the NIH and NCI. The House is scheduled to take up its version of the stimulus package this afternoon which would then go to the Senate, and the Senate still needs to vote on the FY09 Continuing Resolution. However, it is unlikely that NIH would receive a funding increase through either of these measures. Thank you to everyone who joined us in contacting their Senate offices. We will keep you updated should there be an opportunity to support an effort to increase funding for the NIH and NCI.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network has published a 2008 Presidential Candidate Voter Guide with the candidates' answers to questions regarding access to care, tobacco control, cancer research and prevention.
read the candidates' answers to these questions

(April 3, 2008 - Washington, DC) With mounting evidence that many Americans remain the invisible people with cancer who don’t get regular screening examinations, smoke at higher rates, are frequently diagnosed after their cancer has spread and, therefore, die more frequently and more quickly from this disease, the ICC Caucus issued a new 12-step action plan at the Intercultural Cancer Council's 11th Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved and Cancer. The plan outlines how the Administration and the U.S. Congress can begin to help those cancer patients who are falling through the cracks of the healthcare system. Titled From Awareness to Action: A Renewed Call to Eliminate the Unequal Burden of Cancer, this national call to action provides realistic goals for helping racial and ethnic minorities, those living in rural areas, the elderly and the poor who remain at greatest risk for developing and dying from cancer. Specifically, the plan addresses a widening gap in cancer care among American Indians and Alaskan Natives and those living in the out islands of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa and other Pacific Islands, who now have cancer incidence and death rates similar to third world countries.
Read what others are saying about our new call to action . . .
Indian Country Today
Nation's Health (American Public Health Association)

The Intercultural Cancer Council's quarterly newsletter, theVoice, includes an "Advocacy in Action" column by Caucus President, Jennie R. Cook. Following her column is good way to learn more about the work of the Caucus.
You can read the current and previous issues of the newsletter at . . .
http://iccnetwork.org/thevoice/

The ICC Caucus joins other Research!America members in support of the 2008 Your Candidates – Your Health voter education initiative.