[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20363-20365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07310]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 20363]]


                Proclamation 10542 of March 31, 2023

                
National Cancer Control Month, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Cancer has touched nearly every American family, and it 
                remains the second leading cause of death in the United 
                States. During National Cancer Control Month, we call 
                on all Americans to join our movement to end cancer as 
                we know it. By raising awareness of the risk factors, 
                promoting life-saving regular screenings, investing in 
                research, and expanding access to affordable treatment, 
                we can give patients, survivors, and their families the 
                hope and new beginnings they deserve.

                We have made enormous progress in the half-century 
                since our country first declared war on cancer. We have 
                learned it is not a single disease but, in fact, over 
                200 different types of cancers caused by different 
                genetic mutations. We have discovered life-saving 
                prevention and early detection measures, new medicines, 
                and innovative therapies, slashing the death rate by a 
                third since 1991. But despite all that progress, cancer 
                still claims the lives of over 600,000 Americans a 
                year. And for many communities of color, the mortality 
                rates are far worse, with Black Americans facing the 
                highest mortality rate of any racial and ethnic group 
                for all cancers combined and for most major cancers. 
                Patients and their loved ones are still overwhelmed by 
                a flood of unfamiliar information; worried about how 
                they will pay for treatment; and awash in bewilderment, 
                frustration, and fear. And those who have lost someone 
                have often lost a piece of their soul.

                I am more confident than ever, though, that we can 
                change things. Last year, as part of the Unity Agenda 
                that I outlined during my State of the Union Address, 
                the First Lady and I reignited the Cancer Moonshot 
                initiative that President Barack Obama first asked me 
                to lead in 2016. We have set a new goal to cut 
                America's cancer death rate by half in the next 25 
                years, turning more cancers from death sentences into 
                treatable diseases and creating a more supportive 
                experience for patients and families. As a first step, 
                I established the Advanced Research Projects Agency for 
                Health, securing $2.5 billion in bipartisan funding 
                from the Congress to develop breakthroughs in 
                preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer and other 
                deadly diseases. This will pioneer partnerships to get 
                those breakthroughs to the clinic. Additionally, I 
                signed an Executive Order that will require 
                biotechnology to be made in America, preserving access 
                to lifesaving medications and making sure we lead the 
                world in biotech innovation.

                Improving treatment options is only part of the fight--
                we also need to make those treatments more affordable 
                for everyone. To that end, the American Rescue Plan 
                expanded the Affordable Care Act, which requires 
                insurers to pay for cancer screenings and primary care 
                visits and to cover cancer survivors and others who 
                have preexisting conditions. We are working to make 
                sure insurers cover patient navigation services, too, 
                to help patients, caregivers, and families through 
                screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survival. 
                Meanwhile, the Inflation Reduction Act will cap out-of-
                pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 per 
                year. This is a gamechanger for cancer patients in 
                particular, whose medicines can currently cost seven 
                times that. And the Honoring our PACT Act is ensuring 
                that veterans exposed

[[Page 20364]]

                to cancer-causing toxic substances during their 
                military service get the health care and benefits that 
                they have earned.

                More than a third of all cancer cases are preventable, 
                so my Administration is working to reduce people's 
                exposure to risk factors. That starts with tackling the 
                top cause of cancer deaths in this country: smoking. 
                The Food and Drug Administration has proposed rules to 
                ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, which could 
                prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths. For help 
                quitting or avoiding smoking in the first place, visit 
                SmokeFree.gov, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or text QUITNOW to 
                333888.

                We are also making it easier for Americans to adopt 
                healthy eating and exercise habits, which have been 
                shown to lower cancer risk. Our national strategy to 
                end hunger seeks to provide healthy, free school meals 
                to millions of kids; boost Medicaid and Medicare 
                coverage for things like nutrition and obesity 
                counseling; and make fruits and vegetables more 
                affordable for low-income families.

                Because detecting cancer early can increase survival, 
                we urge all Americans to catch up on routine screening 
                appointments they may have missed during the pandemic 
                and to encourage loved ones to do the same. In the last 
                year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
                issued more than $200 million in grants to support 
                cancer screening in every State, many United States 
                territories, and Tribal Nations. The Department of 
                Health and Human Services is helping community health 
                centers improve access to early detection, too. To 
                learn which screenings are right for you, talk to your 
                health care provider, visit cdc.gov/cancerscreeningorcancer.gov/screeningtests, or call 1-
                800-4-CANCER.

                The fight against cancer is personal to so many 
                families, including ours. It is one of the reasons I 
                ran for President. And it is something big that we can 
                all do together. Cancer does not care if you are 
                Republican or Democrat--we need everyone in the game. 
                We need the scientific and medical communities, 
                bringing their boldest thinking. We need the private 
                sector, testing new treatments and sharing more 
                knowledge. We need people living with cancer, 
                survivors, caregivers, and families, whose absolute 
                courage this work is all about. For the lives we can 
                save and those we have lost, let this be a truly 
                American moment that rallies the country and the world 
                together to end cancer as we know it and to cure some 
                cancers for good.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, do hereby proclaim April 
                2023 as National Cancer Control Month. I encourage 
                citizens, government agencies, private businesses, 
                nonprofit organizations, and other interested groups to 
                join in activities that will increase awareness of what 
                Americans can do to prevent, detect, treat, and control 
                cancer.

[[Page 20365]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-07310
Filed 4-4-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P