[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S10652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I am grateful for the opportunity to 
discuss the importance of breast cancer awareness and to highlight 
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place this October.
  We celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October in order to 
raise awareness of the disease and to stress the importance of early 
detection through an annual mammogram for women over 40, or earlier for 
women with increased risk factors. I say that we celebrate Breast 
Cancer Awareness Month because in my family, we truly do celebrate. 
Were it not for the efforts of so many fine individuals and 
organizations to raise awareness of this disease, my wife Barbara might 
not have sought early treatment and won two battles with breast cancer. 
Barbara's triumphs truly give our family reason to celebrate.
  Yet the numbers remind us that we have more work to do. Breast cancer 
is the most common nonskin cancer and the second leading cause of 
cancer-related death among women. We know we are making strides against 
this disease because while the breast cancer diagnosis rate has 
increased, the overall breast cancer death rate has decreased. Simply 
put, although more women are personally fighting breast cancer, more 
women are winning.
  One of the most effective ways for women to win their battle against 
breast cancer is through early detection and treatment, and 
highlighting this fact is a fundamental goal of Breast Cancer Awareness 
Month. In this spirit, Barbara and I sponsor a mammogram van every year 
at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, SD. The van, which our 
generous sponsors help us provide free of charge, offers 2 days of free 
mammograms for uninsured women. We are so proud to have the opportunity 
to offer this important screening to so many women.
  I am disappointed that the President's budget request for fiscal year 
2007 does not prioritize funding for cancer programs in a way that 
allows us to move quickly forward in the fight against breast cancer. 
The President requested level funding for the National Institutes of 
Health, NIH, the world's largest and most distinguished organization 
dedicated to maintaining and improving health through medical science. 
This proposed budget would cut funding for 18 of the 19 Institutes at 
NIH, including a $40 million cut for the National Cancer Institute.
  I am pleased that the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education 
appropriations bill approved by the Appropriations Committee, on which 
I serve, in July not only restored funding for the National Cancer 
Institute, but also included a $9 million increase over the fiscal year 
2006 level. While we must still travel a long path to passing this 
appropriations bill, I am committed to maintaining and, if possible, 
increasing this funding level.
  Earlier this year, I joined 73 Senators in voting to add $7 billion 
to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations 
bill. Unfortunately, the fiscal year 2006 emergency supplemental bill 
contained a ``deeming resolution'' that forced the Senate to make 
significant spending cuts in domestic programs. As a result, on July 
20, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out a bill that is $2 
billion short of the fiscal year 2005 level. I am committed to securing 
the rest of the funds that so many of my colleagues and I support and 
to ensuring that important programs like breast cancer research and 
screening and treatment programs receive the benefit of these 
additional funds. We can only expect to conquer breast cancer and other 
forms of cancer if we commit the funds necessary to researching, 
understanding, and preventing this disease.
  During the month of October, I urge my Senate colleagues, my 
constituents in South Dakota, and all Americans to join me in 
celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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