In the News

WASHINGTON — On Capitol Hill, one Florida congresswoman has been leading the charge on breast cancer legislation since her own diagnosis in 2007.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz remembers the day she found out she had cancer more than 17 years ago. 

“One day, I was the picture of health," she said. "The next day, I found a lump, and I was a cancer patient. And it can happen to any of us, which is why making sure people have access to affordable health care is so critical."

This year, her advocacy has taken a new meaning after President Donald Trump’s administration terminated thousands of medical research grants, including for breast cancer. The Trump administration says the cuts were related to its crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion. But Wasserman Schultz says it is a life-or-death matter. 

“Donald Trump, instead of joining us in that fight, has been cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding that will save people's lives. ... Now he will leave people to die, or it will take a lot longer for us to get to the point where we can help more people, like I was able to catch cancer early and be much more likely to survive," she said. "It's outrageous."

At the end of August, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration’s decision and allowed the White House to cancel more than $700 million in grants for DEI purposes. In a statement to Spectrum News, the White House said the decisions it has made are not the end of cancer research. 

“HHS has only cancelled grants that focused on DEI and other ideological pet projects, and those funds will be reallocated to more promising and productive research pursuits,” White House spokesman Kush Desai wrote. 

However, data from the NIH shows that not all of the terminated projects focus specifically on DEI. At Harvard Medical School, veteran cancer researcher Joan Brugge’s study on precursors for breast cancer was terminated. Other studies that were axed include examining breast cancer in Haitian immigrants and Latino women, and how testosterone therapy affects breast cancer risk. 

The National Institutes of Health told Spectrum News in a statement that it is continuing to prioritize cancer research. However, more than $4 billion has been lost already. 

“NIH continues to invest significantly in bold and innovative cancer research," the agency said. "Ending the scourge of cancer is one of our highest priorities, as reflected in the National Cancer Institute’s budget of more than $7 billion — the largest of any NIH institute or center."

Wasserman Schultz has cosponsored many bills on breast cancer, but now she’s waiting for Congress to also act on her Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act, which she introduced in July. The bill would expand genetic testing for breast cancer risk to Medicare patients. 

She also is waiting for more funding for her Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act (EARLY) Act, which passed into law in 2010.

But, as she waits for progress, she says it’s important for women to pay attention to their breast health. 

“So many women blow off their own health because they're taking care of everybody else's and their family and that they're close to,” she said. “If you don't have your health, you don't have anything. And I am here to tell you that I'm living proof of that.”

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/snplus/politics/2025/10/10/breast-cancer--congress--cancer-research-