As part of its commitment to ampifying the impact of cancer centers in Washington, AACI monitors cancer-related public policy and participates in advocacy activities on behalf of the cancer research community.
Proposed Changes to NIH Grant Review Dropped
Last month, AACI swiftly responded to reports of an executive order that would have changed how grants are reviewed and approved at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The proposal, which would have created a board of political appointees with authority to review NIH grant awards, drew concerns from members of Congress and the biomedical research community about the potential impact on the scientific merit-based grant review process.
Read AACI’s Statement on Proposed Changes to NIH Grant Review.
Grant review has been a frequent target of the Trump administration. The proposed executive order came weeks after Congress blocked the implementation of the White House Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance through a bipartisan continuing resolution. The OMB proposed rule would require senior political appointees to review discretionary awards to ensure alignment with presidential policy priorities and expand agency authority to terminate grants.
Read AACI’s Comments Opposing Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance.
The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, led by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, remains in effect until December 11, when the continuing resolution concludes.
Senator Collins reiterated the congressional intent of the NIH, stating, “Imposing a political review on awards that have already been selected through a rigorous scientific and merit-based process undermines the long-standing principle that the government funds awards based on scientific need and merit, rather than political ideology.”
NCI Releases FY28 Professional Judgment Budget
Also last month, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, announced the release of NCI's Fiscal Year 2028 (FY28) Annual Plan and Professional Judgment Budget (PJB).
The PJB represents the NCI's assessment of the optimal congressional funding needed—$9.702 billion in FY28—to allow NCI to invest in cancer research, sustain robust research infrastructure throughout the United States, speed progress, and reduce the national cancer burden.
While the PJB represents an ambitious funding level, particularly amid a challenging federal funding environment, it provides an important picture of the scientific opportunities that could be pursued with greater investment in cancer research, including functional precision medicine, cell-based immunotherapies, and improved utilization of pediatric cancer data and tumor atlases.
Read the NCI FY28 Annual Plan and Professional Judgment Budget.
Rally for Medical Research & Congressional Women’s Softball Game
On Thursday, September 17, participants from nearly 400 organizations came together on Capitol Hill to advocate for robust and sustained annual funding increases for the NIH during the 14th annual Rally for Medical Research Hill Day. The previous evening, advocates attended a reception featuring remarks from NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, Yosemite founder Reed Jobs, and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).
AACI’s Policy & Government Affairs team participated in both events, which AACI was proud to support as a Silver Sponsor. We appreciate the efforts of leaders, clinicians, researchers, and other advocates from AACI member cancer centers who joined us to speak on behalf of patients with cancer. Special thanks to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), for coordinating the Rally for Medical Research and the reception.
View Photos From the Rally for Medical Research.
AACI returned to Washington the following week as a sponsor of the Congressional Women’s Softball Game, held at Audi Field on Wednesday, September 23. Started in 2009 following the breast cancer diagnosis of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the annual event has grown into a bipartisan tradition of friendly competition between Members of Congress and the Washington press corps. This year, the press corps’ Bad News Babes defeated Team Congress 22–16, and the event raised more than $880,000 for the Young Survival Coalition, which supports the unique needs of young adults diagnosed with breast cancer.
Upcoming AACI Events
AACI’s Fall 2026 Government Relations (GR) Forum will be held at 2:00 pm central time on Monday, October 26, during the 2026 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Chicago. The GR Forum provides an opportunity for attendees to network and discuss timely public policy issues, including federal efforts to accelerate clinical trials, global competition in biomedical research, and updates on the 2026 midterm elections. Participants may choose to attend the GR Forum only or attend the full, three-day meeting. Registration is required.
Register for the 2026 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting.
Please save the date for the 2027 AACI/AACR Hill Day, Thursday, May 20, in Washington, DC.
The 2027 Hill Day is conveniently scheduled to follow the NCI Cancer Center Directors Meeting for leadership of NCI-Designated Cancer Centers on Wednesday, May 19. Hill Day registration will open in early 2027. For more information, please contact AACI Director of Policy & Government Affairs Jaren Love.
Public Policy Newsletter
To stay up to date on AACI's ongoing public policy and advocacy activities, please subscribe to AACI's new Public Policy Roundup newsletter. This quarterly publication is designed to provide a more focused look at the policy issues shaping the oncology field. The Fall 2026 issue is slated for November.
Read the Summer 2026 Issue of the AACI Public Policy Roundup.