As part of Livestrong Day, Lance Armstrong and 100 cancer survivors and caregivers went to Washington, D.C. to lobby their congressional representatives for more cancer research funds. Armstrong criticized the Bush administration for cutting taxes while cutting the budget for the National Cancer Institute. "Taking from the poor and giving to the rich has never been a good policy," he told the audience at a Tuesday night reception at the Dirksen Senate Office Building. While visiting congressional representatives, Armstrong and cancer advocates were asking that Congress make cancer a national priority and to financially support the National Cancer Institute programs that result in early diagnosis and treatment and the Center for Disease Control programs that target cancer prevention, detection and treatment needs of each local community.

There are over 10 million cancer survivors alive today. Surviving cancer in such great numbers is a fairly recent phenomenon in the history of this country, as cancer was once considered a death sentence. The U.S. government, under President Bush's leadership has set back cancer research by cutting funding, and if more awareness is not raised about the budget for cancer research, further cuts will be made. Armstrong, and 10 million cancer survivors are becoming a visible and vocal force to be reckoned with, as these are serious issues. Cancer and cancer survivorship cannot be put on a financial back burner of lesser priority. One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. For more information, visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Livestrong.