In November 2019, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was fortunate. I received excellent care at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early 2020, and my cancer has been in remission ever since. I don’t say I’m cured — I say I’m in remission.
My treatment was made possible by decades of investment in biomedical research. For years, the United States has led the world in the development of cancer therapies through a powerful partnership between the federal government, universities, and private institutions. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have each played essential roles in advancing this work.
The system worked for me. It’s still working for thousands of Americans. But that progress is now under threat.
The Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), which has historically funded breakthrough studies in cancers with military relevance — such as prostate, breast, and lung cancer — is facing a 57% funding cut under proposed federal budget reductions. Entire cancer research programs, including those for pancreatic, kidney, and bladder cancers, would be eliminated.
These programs are complementary. The DOD’s cancer research efforts focus on cancers disproportionately affecting veterans and service members. For example, U.S. military members exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam or burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan have a higher risk of developing certain cancers, including prostate cancer.
When we slash these programs, we don’t just slow progress — we derail it. Clinical trials are long, complex, and expensive. They require years of planning, careful recruitment of participants, and long-term monitoring. Canceling a study doesn’t just pause the process — it wastes the investment already made and often prevents the trial from ever restarting.
The impact on patients is profound. Many individuals enrolled in experimental trials have exhausted all standard treatment options. These trials represent their last, best hope. When funding is halted, these patients are left without hope — sometimes without access to potentially life-saving therapies. For them, a budget cut is not a number — it’s a threat to their very survival.
The damage doesn’t end there. The scientific workforce is also at risk. Talented researchers whose projects are canceled are being actively recruited by countries that offer more reliable research funding. A recent report from The New York Times highlighted how American scientists are increasingly being courted by international institutions, particularly in Europe and Asia, where government support for research is growing.
Scientists and cancer organizations across the country have sounded the alarm. According to STAT News, leading cancer researchers warn that the proposed cuts would “devastate” progress, delay cures, and force the U.S. to surrender its leadership in cancer innovation.
The National Cancer Institute was established by Congress in 1937, and in 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, declaring a formal “War on Cancer.” Those weren’t symbolic acts — they were legislative commitments to long-term investment in science, medicine, and life. This job isn’t done yet, but these cuts suggest we’re giving up.
I directly benefited from the fruits of this system, I want others to have the same chance I had. And I believe we owe it to future generations to preserve, protect, and expand access to treatments that save lives.
Science matters. Research saves lives.
Congress must reject these cuts to cancer research. We cannot afford to undo decades of progress. If we stop now, it’s not just innovation that we’re turning our backs on — it’s people.
I encourage Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan and Rep. Begich, to support cancer patients, reject the administration’s short-sighted cuts, and fully fund cancer research.
Jim Cheydleur lives in Fairbanks.
