{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/2025/11/fitzpatrick-leads-bipartisan-reform-to-address-underfunding-of-pediatric-cancer-research", "Fitzpatrick Leads Bipartisan Reform to Address Underfunding of Pediatric Cancer Research", "2025-11-19", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Brian K. Fitzpatrick", "F000466", "fitzpatrick.house.gov", "fitzpatrick", "https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Co-Chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, today introduced the bipartisan Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act of 2025, landmark legislation ensuring that federal cancer research dollars dedicated to pediatric cancer are aligned with the percentage of Americans under 18.\n\nThe bill\u2014co-led by Representatives Mike Kelly (PA-16), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), and Susie Lee (NV-03)\u2014corrects long-standing inequities in how federal cancer research funds are distributed, ensuring children receive the fair, proportional investment they deserve.\n\nAlthough nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population being under 18, pediatric cancers receive only around 4% of federal cancer research funding. Childhood cancer remains the #1 disease-related cause of death for American children, yet treatments for many pediatric cancers still rely on therapies developed decades ago for adults. As a result, children and families face fewer clinical trials, fewer targeted therapies, and slower innovation.\n\n\u201cThis bill is rooted in a simple principle: fairness. Pediatric cancer has been chronically underfunded for decades, leaving families with fewer options and slower innovation,\u201d said Fitzpatrick. \u201cThe Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act rights a fundamental imbalance, accelerates discovery, and ensures we invest in cures designed for the courageous children who do not choose this battle but fight it with a strength few adults could ever imagine.\u201d\n\n\u201cApproximately 16,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year. This legislation invests more in the discovery of treatments and cures that work for these courageous children,\u201d said Kelly, Co-Chair of the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus. \u201cThe Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act is a giant step toward that goal because it focuses more money on childhood cancer research. We can, and should, do more, which is why I am a proud champion of this bill.\u201d\n\n\u201cCancer can be so devastating at any age, and it can be especially difficult for kids diagnosed with it and their families,\" said Evans. \"I\u2019m proud to cosponsor this bill from my Pennsylvania colleague that would help ensure an equitable amount of federal funding for pediatric cancer research.\u201d\n\n\"No parent should have to receive devastating news of a child's cancer diagnosis. But heartbreaking data shows pediatric cancer is on the rise, and Congress must ensure that researchers have the necessary funding they need to save lives. As the mom of a young son, I am proud to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to invest in the health and wellbeing of America's most vulnerable and fight to defeat childhood cancer,\u201d said Stefanik.\n\n\u201cNo parent or child should have to face the pain of pediatric cancer. Unfortunately, underinvestment in research and treatment has meant that Nevada kids often must wait or travel several hours for treatment or potentially lifesaving clinical trials,\u201d said Lee. \u201cI\u2019m proud to help lead this bipartisan legislation with Rep. Fitzpatrick to ensure that federal funding is properly allocated to match our children\u2019s health needs. Our children deserve access to the best care possible, no matter where they live.\u201d\n\n\u201cCancer is an awful disease that\u2019s devastating so many American children and families \u2014 unnecessarily cutting precious lives short. We must keep taking every possible step toward finding cures. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to co-lead the bipartisan Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act, to help ensure that federal investments are equally distributed to pediatric cancer research,\u201d said Gottheimer. \u201cThere are children behind every statistic. Pediatric cancer touches far too many families, including my own. With the Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act, we will help develop cutting-edge treatments, find cures, and, most importantly, save lives.\u201d\n\nKey Provisions of the Bill\n\nFair Share Funding Requirement: Beginning in FY2026, federal pediatric cancer research funding must match the percentage of Americans under age 18\u2014establishing, for the first time, a proportional, equitable baseline for childhood cancer research.\n\nData-Driven Allocation: Annual funding levels will be set using official Census population data, ensuring an objective, transparent, and consistently updated method for determining pediatric research investment.\n\nSustained National Investment: Guarantees long-term, predictable federal funding for pediatric cancer research\u2014particularly for the many childhood cancers that still lack modern, targeted, and child-specific treatments.\n\nBackground: Fitzpatrick\u2019s National Leadership on Cancer Research and Care\n\nAs Co-Chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, Congressman Fitzpatrick has built one of Congress\u2019s most impactful bipartisan cancer-care portfolios\u2014advancing early detection, expanding access, modernizing treatment reimbursement, and strengthening the federal research pipeline. His work reflects a sustained commitment to ensuring that every patient, regardless of circumstance or age, benefits from innovation and lifesaving care.\n\nRecent initiatives include:\n\nBreast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act \u2014 A proven, lifesaving program improving early detection for young and high-risk women.\n\nKnock Out (K.O.) Cancer Act of 2025 \u2014 A bipartisan initiative delivering one of the most significant proposed increases in cancer research funding in a generation and addressing the national crisis of cancer drug shortages.\n\nRadiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Value-Based Program Act of 2025 \u2014 Modernizes Medicare\u2019s radiation therapy reimbursement model to improve outcomes, reduce disparities, and generate substantial savings.\n\nSCREENS for Cancer Act \u2014 Reauthorizes the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) through 2030, strengthening access for low-income and underinsured Americans.\n\n$1,000,000 Community Project Funding (CPF) investment for the Grand View Health Pavilion expansion \u2014 Enhancing local access to high-quality cancer care, diagnostics, and early detection services across PA-1.\n\nThese bipartisan efforts demonstrate Fitzpatrick\u2019s consistent leadership in ensuring that prevention, early detection, treatment innovation, and research remain national priorities.\n\nThe Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act builds upon this work by correcting a long-standing inequity and ensuring federal cancer research finally reflects the needs of America\u2019s children.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/2025/11/fitzpatrick-leads-bipartisan-reform-to-address-underfunding-of-pediatric-cancer-research"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7779248990118504, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}