Congressman Joe Wilson Op-Ed
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As a father of a
childhood cancer survivor, I know first-hand the hardships and sadness
surrounding a family affected by cancer. This is one of the reasons I
have worked in Congress for those affected by this terrible disease.
I voted in favor of the 21st Century Cures Act which passed
Congress in 2016. This bill authorized $1.8 billion in funding for the
Cancer Moonshot to accelerate cancer research. The Cancer
Moonshoot’s priority is to make more therapies available to cancer
patients, while also improving the ability to prevent cancer and detect it
at an early stage. I am grateful for the opportunity to support this
important work.
I cosponsored the Childhood Cancer STAR Act which was signed
into law in 2018. This bill was created to help children with cancer live
longer, healthier lives. It is the most comprehensive childhood cancer
legislation ever taken up by Congress with the objective to advance
childhood cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments, while
also providing improved resources for childhood cancer survivors.
This Congress, I am a cosponsor of the Creating Hope
Reauthorization Act, which expedites FDA approval of new medications
for children suffering from cancer and other pediatric diseases by
expanding the priority review voucher program. This legislation would
make it so lifesaving treatments can be made more readily available for
children suffering from cancer in America.
I have met with families across South Carolina’s Second District
personally affected by childhood cancer and have been inspired by their
determination. I strive to work for the people of the Second District and
will continue working in Congress to improve childhood cancer research
efforts.
