Statement by Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot Dr. Danielle Carnival on the two-year anniversary of the Biden-⁠Harris Administration’s re-commitment to the Biden Cancer Moonshot

Today, Dr. Danielle Carnival, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot and Deputy Director for Health Outcomes in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, issued the following statement recognizing the two-year anniversary of the reignited Cancer Moonshot:

“Two years ago today, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden convened the cancer community in the East Room of the White House and committed to supercharge the Cancer Moonshot. They set new ambitious but achievable goals — to cut the cancer death rate by at least half, preventing more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047, and to improve the experience of patients and their families.

The Cancer Moonshot is a key pillar of President Biden’s Unity Agenda and described by the President as ‘a mission that can truly unify the nation, that shows us at our best, working together.’ Leaders from around the federal government and across sectors, public and private, have stepped up with new actions and collaborations to strengthen prevention, detection, and treatment options for all Americans. We have made incredible progress — including more than 50 new actions, programs, and policies across the first-ever Cancer Cabinet and from more than 100 private companies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and patient groups.

Over the course of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, we’ve learned from the experiences of thousands of patients and their families across the United States. We have worked with researchers, health care providers, public health workers, companies, and others around the world to urgently address the devastating impacts of cancer. In that time, the Biden Cancer Moonshot has:

• Supported patients and their caregivers across the cancer journey — expanding the adoption of and payment for cancer navigation services, bringing personalized assistance and advocacy to more Americans facing cancer;
• Delivered new innovations to patients and communities, committing substantial investment in groundbreaking tools and treatments including through the launch of ARPA-H and securing $2.5 billion in initial investment;
• Expanded access to cancer screenings — advancing national cancer prevention and control through cancer screening programs reaching every state, many U.S. territories, and Tribal organizations — through more than $200 million in grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
• Limited out of pocket costs for prescription drugs to $2,000 per year for those who use Medicare, through the Inflation Reduction Act, which will save people living with cancer as much as $10,000 starting next year;
• Helped prevent toxic and environmental exposures — protecting millions of families by cleaning up toxic sites and replacing water lines through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and screening more than five million veterans for toxic exposures through the PACT Act;
• Driven new cancer prevention efforts — including smoking cessation resources and accelerated nutrition research; and more.

There is much more work to do. Together, we will make real progress toward ending cancer as we know it. Follow along as we continue to deliver for the American people.”

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