President Joe Biden is relaunching Cancer Moonshot, an initiative first developed under former President Barack Obama that aims to “end cancer as we know it today.”
Biden plans to speak about the initiative at the White House on Wednesday. There, he will lay out his goal of reducing the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the course of 25 years, according to a White House fact sheet.
He, alongside the first lady, will also push for more people to get screened for cancer – something that many Americans skipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, NBC News reported.
Cancer Moonshot will aim to improve the life of those battling and surviving cancer. Biden first launched the initiative in 2016 when he served as vice president, the White House fact sheet noted. (RELATED: Biden Makes Lofty Promise On Cancer At Iowa Event)
US President Barack Obama arrives for a signing ceremony for the 21st Century Cures Act in the South Court Auditorium, next to the White House on December 13, 2016 in Washington, DC. – The bill speeds up the approval process for new drugs and medical devices and expands funding for medical research, including the cancer moonshot initiative led by Vice President Joe Biden. The funding will also aid research on opioid abuse and brain diseases, including Alzheimers. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The program shuttered in 2019 after Biden decided to run for office, according to NBC News. It’s being revamped now because “a lot has changed,” according to an administration official who added that they believe they can “set really ambitious goals.”
While the initiative is being relaunched on Wednesday, very little money remains of the $1.8 billion provided by Congress in 2016. The administration official, speaking to reporters in a call previewing the announcement, expressed confidence for “robust funding going forward.”
Some of Cancer Moonshot’s more general goals include diagnosing cancer sooner, preventing cancer and improving progress against particularly deadly and rare cancers, including childhood cancer.
The administration plans to form a “Cancer Cabinet” for Cancer Moonshot, according to the White House fact sheet. The cabinet will pull individuals from various agencies and departments, and Biden also plans to pick a White House Cancer Moonshot coordinator.
Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been personally affected by cancer, an administration official noted, having both lost loved ones to the disease.
The president previously vowed to “cure cancer” during a campaign speech in 2019.
“I promise you if I’m elected president, you’re going to see the single most important thing that changes America, is we’re going to cure cancer,” he said at the time.