Following passage of an initial smaller spending package in early March, last week congressional leaders released the second portion of Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills. While this package includes spending for defense, border and diplomatic programs, key provisions for critical ASTRO priorities are:

• $116.8 billion in funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
• $48.6 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), representing a $300 million increase,
• $120 million increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and
• $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), preserving current funding. Congress included language strongly urging “research on rare cancers with low survival rates and for which there have been little advancement in therapeutics, including the evaluation of immune-based therapies, targeted therapies, and combination treatments.”

While the FY 2024 Federal Appropriations are very nearly finalized and a government shutdown averted, this spending package falls short of ASTRO-supported funding levels. Funding that does not keep pace with inflation is effectively a cut to vital research and clinical trial programs, but Congress’s inability to reach agreement before the eleventh hour means these figures are final.

Fortunately, work for next year is already underway. The President has submitted, and congressional hearings are ongoing on the FY 2025 budget. ASTRO will continue to support robust federal investment in cancer research.