-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the first Sunday in June is National Cancer Survivors Day. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States.

We have made great strides in recent decades to prevent and to battle cancer. The disease is the second leading cause of death in our country.

I know how a cancer diagnosis impacts a family, as a result of my wife Barbara's own diagnosis and victory over breast cancer 38 years ago. For sure, early detection and access to treatment saved Barbara's life.

Now, Iowa is a rural State. A majority of our States are rural States, and every State in the United States has rural areas in it.

Of course, it is difficult to deliver quality healthcare in rural America, but it is being delivered. To accomplish that, I have championed policies to keep the delivery of healthcare services accessible in rural America.

Access to quality healthcare should not be determined by your ZIP Code. Keeping rural and community clinics open and telehealth services available is a lifeline for cancer patients.

This day, National Cancer Survivors Day, is dedicated to celebrating cancer survivors and acknowledging the struggle and strength it took to overcome the disease.

We stand with you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source