Advocating for Research Funding in DC: Show Us the Money!

On December 8^th and 9^th, KidneyCAN once again rallied our delgates to Washington, DC, to ask for Congress to fund kidney cancer research. This advocacy event was entirely virtual, conducted via phone calls and Zoom meetings.

KidneyCAN advocates from all over the United States met with their Congressional representatives to accomplish a number of goals:

• To speak as one voice and to have a clearly articulated “ask” of legislators based on the legislative priorities of the kidney cancer community.
• To build awareness of kidney cancer as a leading killer disease.
• To educate policymakers and staff on the impact of kidney cancer on individuals, caregivers, families, and other stakeholders.
• To thank representatives for supporting issues impacting the community.
• To represent the national kidney cancer community. To speak for those unable to speak or be present.

Our asks are based on input from the kidney cancer community – patients, caregivers, researchers, and medical providers – and our knowledge of the legislative and funding processes.

Right now, we’re seeing Congress hammer out what they’re calling a “Cromnibus” This is a term policymakers have given to a spending bill that combines a short-term continuing resolution (the “cr” part) for some federal programs and a long-term omnibus to cover all remaining federal spending.

The House of Representatives has already approved $50 million in funding for the Kidney Cancer Research Program in 2021, and now we’re waiting to see if the Senate comes through.