Delay in passing the FY24 budget is “disastrous for our cancer centers”

The soul of oncology: Centering patient stories amid funding saga

Last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter included an obituary that the entire staff at The Cancer Letter had been dreading for years: Abdallah Abou Zahr, an oncologist at Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo, ND, died Jan. 23 of a liposarcoma after a five-year battle with the disease.

February 04, 2026

Podcast The Directors

The Directors: Gary Schwartz and Ramon Parsons on the best of times (for science), the worst of times (for funding)
Cancer centers fund small grants to boost morale amid low paylines

As NCI paylines drop to 4%, cancer centers are tapping into their institutional funds to provide “bridge funding,” typically in $50,000 to $100,000 increments, to enable investigators to keep their labs open until better times return—next year God willing.

January 30, 2026

Vol.52 No.04

By Paul Goldberg and Claire Marie Porter

Capitol Hill

FY26 funding package blocked in Senate after ICE shooting of Alex Pretti
New package—likely excluding DHS—may go back to House early next week

An argument can be made that anyone who has attempted to follow the path of spending bills on Capitol Hill over the past ten days should be evaluated for whiplash.

NIH suspends new embryonic stem cell line submissions

NIH is suspending the addition of new human embryonic stem cell lines to the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry, all while looking for alternatives. The agency also issued a request for information on “emerging biotechnologies to reduce or potentially replace remaining research reliance on human embryonic stem cells.”

Spending bill passed by the House gives NIH $415M raise, NCI gets $128M
Legislation caps proportion of NIH grants to receive multiyear funding; indirect costs remain untouched

The U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 22 passed a three-bill minibus package that is expected to be the grand finale of the drama of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process. The package, which funds the HHS as well as the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Education, gives NIH and NCI modest raises over FY25, and nullifies several aggressive cuts the White House had proposed for NIH.

Fifth time’s a charm? Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act is included in FY26 spending bill

Sometime next week, the Senate is expected to vote on a legislative package that would determine the fiscal year 2026 spending levels for much of the federal government. xxx:moreReaders of The Cancer Letter may be breathing a sigh of relief that NIH seems like

January 23, 2026

Vol.52 No.03

By Jacquelyn Cobb

Delay in passing the FY24 budget is “disastrous for our cancer centers”

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

The soul of oncology: Centering patient stories amid funding saga

The Directors: Gary Schwartz and Ramon Parsons on the best of times (for science), the worst of times (for funding)
Cancer centers fund small grants to boost morale amid low paylines

FY26 funding package blocked in Senate after ICE shooting of Alex Pretti
New package—likely excluding DHS—may go back to House early next week

NIH suspends new embryonic stem cell line submissions

Spending bill passed by the House gives NIH $415M raise, NCI gets $128M
Legislation caps proportion of NIH grants to receive multiyear funding; indirect costs remain untouched

Fifth time’s a charm? Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act is included in FY26 spending bill

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Delay in passing the FY24 budget is “disastrous for our cancer centers”

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

The soul of oncology: Centering patient stories amid funding saga

The Directors: Gary Schwartz and Ramon Parsons on the best of times (for science), the worst of times (for funding)Cancer centers fund small grants to boost morale amid low paylines

FY26 funding package blocked in Senate after ICE shooting of Alex PrettiNew package—likely excluding DHS—may go back to House early next week

NIH suspends new embryonic stem cell line submissions

Spending bill passed by the House gives NIH $415M raise, NCI gets $128MLegislation caps proportion of NIH grants to receive multiyear funding; indirect costs remain untouched

Fifth time’s a charm? Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act is included in FY26 spending bill

Never miss an issue!

Login

The Directors: Gary Schwartz and Ramon Parsons on the best of times (for science), the worst of times (for funding)
Cancer centers fund small grants to boost morale amid low paylines

FY26 funding package blocked in Senate after ICE shooting of Alex Pretti
New package—likely excluding DHS—may go back to House early next week

Spending bill passed by the House gives NIH $415M raise, NCI gets $128M
Legislation caps proportion of NIH grants to receive multiyear funding; indirect costs remain untouched