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President Joe Biden made "ending cancer as we know it" one of his top goals as president, and with two years left in his term [used] his State of the Union address to call on Congress to act. The seven years of funding for the "cancer moonshot," $1.8 billion as authorized through the 21st Century Cures Act, runs out this September. ... The administration plans to take steps to reduce smoking, which is one of the largest contributors to cancer deaths. Administration officials declined to comment on specifics ahead of the speech, but the administration has taken several steps recently to reduce harm from tobacco, such as banning menthol and flavored cigarettes and proposing to limit nicotine in cigarettes. (Cohen, 2/7)

In the final part of the speech, Biden also spoke about his cancer moonshot effort, which he said he reignited last year with First Lady Jill Biden. He mentioned the goal of reducing cancer death rates by at least 50% in the next 25 years and “turn more cancers from death sentences to treatable diseases” and provide more support for patients and families. He invoked former President George W. Bush’s President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a global effort to combat HIV/AIDS and described it as a “huge success.” “We thought big, we thought large, we moved,” Biden said as both Republicans and Democrats stood up and applauded. “I believe we can do the same thing with cancer.” (2/8)

The administration is preparing further action to help people avoid smoking and support Americans who want to quit — steps they project could prevent as much as 30 percent of cancer deaths in the US, according to the White House. Also as part of his plan to tackle cancer, Biden will call on Congress to reauthorize the National Cancer Act to update cancer research and care systems and the administration will take steps to ensure patient navigation services are covered benefits. (Gaudiano, 2/7)

In President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday, he paid tribute to his predecessor’s effort, calling PEPFAR a "huge success." In 2003, the same State of the Union address that primed the nation for the invasion of Iraq that would begin less than two months later, Bush stunned the world’s global health and political leaders by announcing what was then a $15 billion, five-year commitment to combat the international scourge of AIDS. (Ryan, 2/7)