Funding for the DOD

I have been talking about the need to increase the funding levels for the Department of Defense (DOD) Peer Review Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) for a long period. This program has proven itself to be the single most valuable government funded prostate cancer research program. The program is designed to fund research projects that are “high risk, but can yield high results”.

The funding for the PCRP program has remained stagnant over the prior four years, even while the funding for other diseases has increased each year. The funding or the program must be renewed each year, so this year a number of the prostate cancer advocacy groups, including Malecare, have joined together to promote an increase in funding for the PCRP.

The normal course of events leading to the funding involves members of congress signing “Dear Colleague” letters urging the Chairs of the Appropriations Committees to provide funding. We have received the final versions of both the House and Senate letters including the listing of all members who signed on to the letter. This year 21 members of the Senate signed on and 49 in the House. The letters have been submitted to their respective committees.

I want to thank you all for your hard work and dedication to the advocacy effort surrounding the Prostate Cancer Research Program. We will not hear final decisions on appropriations bills until this fall. In the mean time scan down and see if your member has signed the letter. If they have not you should contact their office and ask, why not? If they have signed please thank them.

The following are the list of house representatives who did sign on to the letter:

Neil Abercrombie
Tammy Baldwin
Howard L. Berman
Dan Burton
Kathy Castor
Jason Chaffetz
Gerry Connolly
John Conyers
Joe Courtney
Elijah Cummings
Danny K. David
Susan Davis
Rosa DeLauro
Keith Ellison
Bob Etheridge
Jim Gerlach
Charles Gonzalez
Raul M. Grijalva
Alcee L. Hastings
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
Dale E. Kildee
Mary Jo Kilroy
Pete King
Dennis Kucinich
Leonard Lance
Sander Levin
Frank LoBiondo
Stephen Lynch
Jim Marshall
Jim McDermott
Brad Miller
Harry E. Mitchell
Frank Pallone
Bill Pascrell
Ron Paul
Donald M. Payne
Nick J. Rahall, II
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Allyson Y. Schwartz
Bobby Scott
Carol Shea-Porter
Brad Sherman
Pete Stark
Chris Van Hollen
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Maxine Waters
Henry Waxman
Don Young

The following senators also sign on to the letter:

Johnson
Crapo
Akaka
Sanders
Lieberman
Nelson (FL)
Wyden Stabenow
Dodd Brown
Casey Kerry
Lautenberg
Kaufman
Lincoln
Menendez
Merkley
Schumer
Kohl
Sessions
Risch