50th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971, 73591-73592 [2021-28312]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 28, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 73591-73592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28312]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 246 / Tuesday, December 28, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 73591]]

                Proclamation 10325 of December 22, 2021

                
50th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 
                1971

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Half a century ago, on December 23, 1971, policymakers, 
                researchers, cancer survivors, and advocates gathered 
                at the White House for the signing of the bipartisan 
                National Cancer Act--a landmark law that has helped 
                transform cancer research and offered hope to millions 
                in the years since.

                For my family, and for most families, the fight against 
                cancer is personal. As every family facing cancer does, 
                we learned as much as we could about the illness our 
                son Beau fought, from his diagnosis to the very end. 
                Along the way, we came to understand just how quickly 
                cancer-fighting science, medicine, and technology is 
                progressing--saving more and more lives each year. It 
                is thanks in no small part to the National Cancer Act 
                of 1971 that so much of this progress has been 
                possible.

                Fifty years ago, cancer screening and detection were in 
                their infancy, treatment options were limited, and 
                researchers worked largely in the dark. The National 
                Cancer Act helped launch programs that form the 
                backbone of today's cancer research enterprise by 
                bolstering the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the 
                National Institutes of Health; establishing NCI-
                designated Cancer Centers; creating national networks 
                to conduct clinical trials; and building systems to 
                collect, share, and advance cancer data and research.

                After decades of investment and innovation--and because 
                of the limitless ingenuity of the world's finest 
                nurses, physicians, and researchers--today we have a 
                much more sophisticated understanding of how best to 
                fight cancer. Thanks to new treatments and insights 
                that could not have been imagined in generations past, 
                the overall cancer death rate in the United States has 
                declined steadily since the early 1990s, with more 
                dramatic declines in the past few years.

                Cancer touches so many families across the country. It 
                is up to all of us to continue making progress fighting 
                cancer and ensuring that every American has access to 
                the quality care they need. In 2016, President Obama 
                asked me to lead the Cancer Moonshot Initiative to end 
                cancer as we know it, and Jill and I committed to this 
                as one of the causes of our lives. Now, as President 
                and First Lady, we remain committed to that mission. 
                Today, we are more hopeful than ever about America's 
                chances to bring an end to cancer as we know it.

                To help us get there, I have asked the Congress to 
                launch the Advanced Research Projects Agency for 
                Health--or ARPA-H--which will invest billions of 
                dollars to speed breakthroughs in preventing, 
                detecting, and treating cancer and other deadly 
                diseases. My American Rescue Plan has also expanded 
                access to affordable health insurance coverage, 
                ensuring that more Americans are able to receive cancer 
                screenings and get the treatment they need without 
                worrying about costs. My Administration will continue 
                to build on the Affordable Care Act, so that all 
                Americans--particularly Americans of color, Indigenous 
                Americans, rural Americans, and others who have been 
                historically underserved--have access to quality, 
                affordable health care.

                As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National 
                Cancer Act, I call upon all Americans to reaffirm our 
                national commitment to accelerate

[[Page 73592]]

                cancer research and deliver hope to more families 
                facing a cancer diagnosis. Working together, building 
                on the decades of progress we have made, we can and 
                will end cancer as we know it.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 23, 
                2021, as the 50th Anniversary of the National Cancer 
                Act of 1971. I encourage citizens, government agencies, 
                private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other 
                interested groups to redouble our pursuit of more 
                effective and equitable access to prevention, 
                diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship care for 
                everyone affected by cancer.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-second day of December, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-28312
Filed 12-27-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P