The National Mall will be lit by 10,000 candle lights on Tuesday night in honor of cancer survivors and those who have died from the disease.
Visitors to the Mall after dark will see thousands of white paper bags, decorated with messages of remembrance, support and strength, with lights placed inside. The annual event, “Lights of Hope,” has been going on for 15 years.
The visual display comes after more than 700 cancer survivors and advocates from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam spent the day at the U.S. Capitol, pushing lawmakers to support cancer research and prevention programs.
The 18th annual lobby day was undertaken with the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network.
Survivors and advocates met with lawmakers from both parties, and in all, about 400 meetings were held with congressional offices across the Hill.
Their goal was to secure extra funding for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute and money for prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the Trump administration has recommended billions of dollars in cuts to the NIH, so far, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have rejected proposed cuts.
Advocates also want Congress to pass the Multicancer Early Detection Act — which would ensure that when tests are FDA approved, patients are reimbursed — and the extension of tax credits for people to access affordable health insurance.
“I just want to re-emphasize the importance of our government in doing, making the most important investment, which is helping people and our entire nation reduce the cancer burden,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of the Cancer Action Network.
Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the federal government.
Also on Thursday, House Republicans unveiled a temporary funding bill that would keep the government running until Nov. 21. The bill generally funds agencies at current levels, with some extra money to boost security for lawmakers, members of the Supreme Court and members of the executive branch.
A key point of partisan debate over the bill is whether enhanced subsidies for health care put in place during the COVID crisis will be extended, or allowed to expire. Many Americans use those enhances subsidies to buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange, and some have already received notices that their premiums are poised to spike next year.
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