WASHINGTON — Even in the midst of an election year, there seems to be one issue on which Democrats and Republicans firmly agree. A new poll is showing broad support across party lines for President Barack Obama’s plan for a significant increase in funding for federal cancer research.
The president unveiled the plan — known as the National Cancer Moonshot — during his 2016 State of the Union Address. The proposal calls for $1 billion in additional research funding for the National Institute of Health, with the bulk of it allocated in the 2017 fiscal year that begins in October. That’s a 20 percent increase.
A survey conducted by the STAT medical news service and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health finds eight in 10 American adults approve of at least a 20 percent rise in research spending.
About half of those polled said a 20 percent increase is about right, while just over a third said they would like to see even more money allocated for the “Moonshot.”
The pollsters note that support did not differ much by political party — a rarity in this highly charged election year.
The survey of 1,000 randomly selected adults was conducted earlier this month.
