KCA Opposes Proposed FY26 Federal Budget Cuts to Research

The Kidney Cancer Association’s President and CEO, Gretchen E. Vaughan, shared a statement with the medical news publication MedPage Today opposing the President’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which slashed funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute by nearly 40%.

These cuts would be a devastating setback in medical progress and the KCA stands united with other medical associations and advocacy organizations, several of which also featured in the MedPage Today article, in calling on Congress to reject this proposed budget and continue making federally funded research a national priority.

In full, Vaughan said:

“The Kidney Cancer Association stands united with our fellow advocates in urging Congress to reject the President’s proposed FY2026 Budget, which includes a nearly 40% cut to the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Already this year, similar cuts slashed kidney cancer research funding through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to $0, down from $50 million in previous years. The proposed reductions in the FY2026 Budget would be devastating, not only to the kidney cancer community, but across all cancer types. Cancer research is deeply interconnected, with progress in one area often unlocking insights for others. Continued cuts will stall lifesaving advances, deny patients access to clinical trials and treatments, and strip families of the dignity and hope they deserve.

We believe cures require long-term, well-funded, collaborative efforts. Federal research and a commitment to curing cancer must be central to our national priorities.”

Other organizations featured in the story included Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, immediate past president of the American Association for Cancer Research, Clifford Hudis, MD, CEO of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, Belinda R. Avalos, MD, President of the American Society of Hematology, Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the healthcare organization coalition One Voice Against Cancer.

Read the full article at MedPage Today.