NAACCR community:
The U.S. has reason to celebrate this morning, as we now have a federal appropriations bill for FY 2026, which includes support for both CDC and NCI cancer surveillance programs! Please see NCRA's announcement below.
I would like to personally thank the registries, staff and partners who helped raise awareness of the value of cancer surveillance and what was at stake with loss of funding support. At last week's Coffee Break, registry directors and managers shared inspirational stories of all they did in their jurisdictions and organizations to garner support for federal funding. Many individuals advocated on their personal time and met with members of Congress. In addition, our partners in One Voice Against Cancer also stepped up to carry the message.
We are deeply grateful to NCRA for their commitment to leading the advocacy effort for the benefit of the cancer surveillance community. They ensured that the messaging was consistent and the strategies effective.
This is a moment to celebrate and be grateful for the power of pulling together.
With gratitude,
Karen
Original message
From: NCRA <info-ncra@ncra.ccsend.com>
Date: 2/3/26 5:37 PM (GMT-05:00)
Subject: Congress Passes FY 2026 Funding, Securing Cancer Surveillance Programs- Press Release Link Updated
Congress Passes FY 2026 Funding, Securing Cancer Surveillance Programs
The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations package, finalizing funding for critical health programs including cancer surveillance. The package, which passed the Senate on Friday, January 30, 2026, provides $53.4 million for the CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and increases funding for the National Cancer Institute by $150 million over FY 2025 levels.
"This is a tremendous victory for cancer surveillance and the patients who depend on accurate, comprehensive cancer data," said Lori Swain, Executive Director of the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA). "Congress has sent a clear, bipartisan message that cancer surveillance is essential to our nation's public health infrastructure."
The approval marks the successful conclusion of months of advocacy efforts by NCRA and its partners. When the Administration's FY 2026 budget proposal called for eliminating funding for the NPCR and cutting NIH cancer programs by 40%, NCRA mobilized hundreds of volunteers to educate members of Congress about the vital importance of cancer registries to patient care, research, and public health.
While the $53.4 million for NPCR represents flat funding from FY 2025, it is a remarkable achievement given the Administration's proposal to eliminate the program entirely. The NCI increase of $150 million will support the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) and other critical cancer research initiatives.
"Cancer registrars across the country can continue their essential work collecting the data that drives cancer research, guides treatment decisions, and helps save lives," Swain added. "We are grateful to the Members of Congress who recognized the importance of this work and fought to preserve these programs."
Karen Knight
Executive Director
North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
2050 West Iles Ave., Suite A, Springfield, IL 62704
E-mail: kknight@naaccr.org
Telephone: 217-698-0800 Ext. 119
Fax: 217-698-0188