Fitzpatrick Secures House Passage of Bipartisan EARLY Act Reauthorization

House passage marks a resounding bipartisan victory for women's health, cancer prevention, and early detection

Washington, DC-Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-01), Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus, announced House passage of his bipartisan EARLY Act reauthorization-a major victory for women's health, cancer prevention, and early detection.

The House-passed package renews proven programs that help young and high-risk women understand their breast cancer risk, recognize warning signs, and receive informed care sooner. It also includes the full provisions of Fitzpatrick's bipartisan SCREENS for Cancer Act, expanding the pathway to breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services for women facing financial, insurance, and other barriers to care.

"America has made extraordinary progress in preventing, detecting, and treating cancer, but that progress only matters if it reaches the people whose lives depend on it," said Fitzpatrick. "Early detection remains one of the most effective tools we have to improve outcomes and save lives. No woman should miss that opportunity because she lacked the right information, her provider lacked the right resources, or cost and insurance barriers placed care beyond her reach. Closing those gaps has been a top priority of my work as Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus."

"My mother and sister are breast cancer survivors, so this mission is deeply personal to me," he continued. Their experience is a constant reminder that when women receive the right information and the right care at the right time, lives can change-and lives can be saved. This bipartisan vote is a major step forward for women and families across America. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to act with the same urgency and send this legislation to the President's desk."

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women. Young women, women of color, and women at elevated risk are too often diagnosed only after the disease has progressed-when treatment options are more limited and outcomes are worse.

Originally enacted in 2010, the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act supports targeted, CDC-led initiatives designed to reach young and high-risk women before cancer goes undetected.

The House-passed legislation, introduced along with Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), and Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), reauthorizes the EARLY Act through 2031, protecting three core programs:

• The Bring Your Brave campaign, which uses the experiences of real women to increase awareness among women ages 18 to 44 about breast cancer risks, symptoms, and early detection;
• The Young Breast Cancer Survivors Program, which supports organizations providing assistance and resources to young patients and survivors; and
• Continuing medical education for health care providers, strengthening their ability to recognize risk and improve care for younger women at increased risk.

After 15 years of successful implementation, reauthorizing the EARLY Act will ensure these programs can continue reaching women before a diagnosis comes too late-giving patients and providers the knowledge needed to identify risks, recognize warning signs, and act sooner.

The reauthorization also includes Fitzpatrick's bipartisan SCREENS for Cancer Act, introduced with Congressman Joe Morelle (D, NY-25). The measure reauthorizes and strengthens the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program through 2030.

Since its creation in 1991, the program has served more than 6.4 million people and provided more than 16.5 million breast and cervical cancer screening examinations. Those screenings have helped diagnose nearly 80,000 invasive breast cancers and approximately 5,300 invasive cervical cancers, while identifying hundreds of thousands of precancerous lesions.

The SCREENS for Cancer Act would:

• Reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program through 2030 with $235 million in annual funding;
• Improve access to breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services;
• Strengthen patient navigation and appropriate follow-up care;
• Support evidence-based strategies proven to increase screening rates in health care settings;
• Reduce barriers facing low-income, uninsured, underinsured, geographically isolated, and underserved communities;
• Address disparities in breast and cervical cancer incidence and mortality; and
• Require a Government Accountability Office study examining program utilization, eligibility, and barriers to screening access.

Together, the EARLY Act and the SCREENS for Cancer Act strengthen the full early-detection pathway-from helping women understand their risks and equipping providers to identify warning signs to ensuring more patients can access screening, diagnosis, and follow-up care.

The EARLY Act reauthorization is supported by more than 20 leading cancer prevention and patient advocacy organizations, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Susan G. Komen, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Sharsheret, the Brem Foundation, and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

The legislation now advances to the United States Senate for consideration.

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