14:32
Today, Biden will be relaunching an Obama-era cancer prevention program, “ending cancer as we know it today” with a set of new long-term goals including reducing the cancer death rate by 50% across the next 25 years.
The reviving of the “Cancer Moonshot” program, an initiative that Biden oversaw during the final days of the Obama presidency, will allow Biden to focus on new long term objectives that Biden was unable to complete as a then-vice president.
“Now you can start messaging, prevention and screening, nutrition, a focus on disparities,” said a source familiar with the project and its relaunch to Politico.
Cancer prevention is a cause close to Biden following the death of his son Beau, 46, from brain cancer in 2015.
The program’s revival will not include any additional financial commitments, despite the Moonshot program only being budgeted for one more year under the 21st Century Cures Act, according to Politico.
The relaunch event will take place at 1:30 pm eastern time with an event in the White House’s East Room. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also be in attendance.
14:08
Biden relaunching Obama-era cancer prevention program
Good morning, US politics live blog readers! It’s Gloria Oladipo from the New York office on the blog.
Here’s what’s coming up today:
- Joe Biden will relaunch his “Cancer Moonshot” program with an event in the White House’s East Room at 1.30pm eastern time, co-hosted by Kamala Harris and Jill Biden. “Cancer Moonshot” is a long form cancer prevention initiative he began in the final days of the Obama presidency as a then-vice president. In addition to prevention, the program will also focus on screening, coordination, and health disparities, according to a source familiar with the project.
- Tensions remain high between the US and Russia over a possible Ukraine invasion, with Putin saying on Tuesday during a news conference that the US and Nato have “ignored” Russia’s security concerns over Ukraine.
- West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, one of two senators blocking Biden’s Build Back Better bill, called the social spending package “dead” on Tuesday, raising fears that Biden’s domestic agenda could be permanently stalled.
- On Tuesday, Pzfier asked the US to allow children under the age of five to receive extra-low doses of its Covid vaccine, potentially allowing younger Americans to become vaccinated by March.