[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16] [Senate] [Pages 21532-21533] [From the U.S. 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 [[Page 21533]] 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. ____________________