Advocacy

Federal Budget Sequester FAQs

by St. Baldrick's Foundation
October 2, 2012
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What is the budget sequester?
At the end of 2012, Congress delayed the budget sequester (a series of automatic program cuts) until March 2013.  The sequester is part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which was a compromise to address raising the federal debt ceiling while reducing expenditures, failed efforts to trim $1.2 trillion from the 2011 budget resulted in required across-the-board cuts, or the budget sequester.

How severe are the budget sequester cuts?
The budget sequester cuts a total $1.2 trillion over 10 years from the federal budget. In 2013, $110 billion must be cut, split evenly between defense and domestic programs, from a federal budget of $3.8 trillion.

How will these cuts affect children with cancer?
The budget allocation for the National Institutes of Health (including the National Cancer Institute which funds the Children’s Oncology Group) will be reduced by $2.4 billion. An additional $318 million will be cut from the Food and Drug Administration, which reviews and approves new drugs and therapies for patients of all ages.

According to Dr. Peter Adamson, Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group, “The sequester is a real threat that endangers an entire generation of children with cancer. It would be disastrous for childhood cancer research. ”

See St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s statement for further detail as to how children, adolescents, teens, and young adults with cancer will be impacted if the budget sequester proceeds.

Why am I being asked to contact my elected officials?
Your new and returning members of Congress need to hear from you now. They need to understand how seriously these cuts will impact children with cancer. Please tell how sequester cuts will freeze the work of the Children’s Oncology Group and make new research developments unavailable for years to come. Let them know that new drugs so desperately needed by kids with cancer will not be available because of FDA cuts. Take this opportunity to tell them about your experiences with childhood cancer.  Your personal story is a powerful and they need to hear from you!

How do I contact my members of Congress?
Speak Up for Kids’ Cancer, the advocacy action network of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, makes it easy for you to send messages to your elected officials. You can share information about your experiences with childhood cancer and tell them why this issue is important to you.


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