Congress approves FY 2026 funding for cancer surveillance programs

The House approved the FY 2026 appropriations package, locking in funding for cancer surveillance after months of lobbying by the National Cancer Registrars Association and partners. The measure preserves the CDC’s cancer registry program and boosts National Cancer Institute funding, avoiding proposed cuts that would have hit data collection and research.

Why it matters: - The funding package keeps cancer surveillance programs operating and protects the data used to track cancer trends, support research and inform treatment decisions. - The outcome avoids an administration proposal that would have eliminated the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries and sharply reduced NIH cancer funding. - The decision signals continued congressional support for cancer data infrastructure even as federal budgets remain tight.

What happened: - The U.S. House of Representatives approved the FY 2026 appropriations package on July 22, 2026. - The Senate passed the package on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. - The bill provides $53.4 million for the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries. - The measure raises National Cancer Institute funding by $150 million over FY 2025 levels.

The details: - The $53.4 million for the National Program of Cancer Registries is flat funding from FY 2025. - The administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal had called for eliminating NPCR funding entirely. - The National Cancer Institute increase will support the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, known as SEER, and other cancer research initiatives. - NCRA mobilized hundreds of volunteers to brief members of Congress on the role of cancer registries in patient care, research and public health. - The advocacy effort was carried out with NCRA partners over several months.

Between the lines: - The result shows that cancer surveillance drew bipartisan backing after advocates framed registries as core public health infrastructure. - Flat funding for NPCR is still a win in this context because it replaced a proposed full elimination. - The NCI increase suggests Congress was willing to protect cancer research priorities even while holding other health spending flat. - Lori Swain, executive director of NCRA, called the vote a victory for patients who depend on accurate, comprehensive cancer data.

What’s next: - Cancer registrars will continue collecting the data that feeds research, treatment decisions and public health reporting. - The restored funding should allow NPCR and related cancer research programs to move into FY 2026 without the immediate threat of cuts. - NCRA is likely to keep pressing Congress to maintain support for cancer surveillance in future budget cycles.

The bottom line: - Congress preserved the federal cancer data pipeline and expanded support for cancer research, sidestepping proposed cuts that would have weakened both surveillance and science.