ForEm Foundation
ForEm
Foundation
Current News & Legislation
Watching the fight in real time.
Policy, funding, and public health decisions shift fast — and what happens in Washington directly shapes what's possible for patients here. This page tracks what's changing right now: bills moving through Congress, funding on the chopping block, and how the U.S. compares to countries actually closing in on eliminating this disease.
While America Waits
Australia is on track to become the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer — by 2035 — after two decades of national vaccination and screening programs. Sweden and Rwanda are targeting 2027. Cervical cancer, one of the most preventable cancers that exists, is being systematically wiped out in other nations through sustained public investment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has proposed cutting the National Cancer Institute's budget by nearly 40% and eliminating the CDC division that funds cervical cancer screening for millions of uninsured women.
This isn't a hypothetical. It's a choice other countries are making — and one America is actively choosing against.
H.R. 6561 was introduced in the U.S. House on December 10, 2025 by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill would direct the CDC to run a national public awareness campaign on HPV and expand cervical screening access for uninsured and underserved patients. It currently has 2 cosponsors and has not yet advanced out of committee — the third time similar legislation has been introduced since 2021.
FDA Approvals
Prevention Milestone
Gardasil 9 for Throat/Neck Cancers
On June 12, 2020, the FDA approved an expanded indication for Gardasil 9 to prevent oropharyngeal and other head and neck cancers caused by HPV, in addition to its original cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal cancer indications. According to CDC modeling, HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers have since surpassed cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer in the U.S.
Most Recent
Approval
Tivdak
On April 29, 2024, Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) received full FDA approval for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer that has progressed after chemotherapy. Tivdak carries an FDA boxed warning for severe ocular toxicity, including risk of vision loss; regular eye exams are required during treatment.
Funding Cuts
Nearly 40% of NCI's budget, gone.
The FY2026 federal budget proposes cutting the National Institutes of Health by roughly 40%, from $47 billion to about $27 billion, with the National Cancer Institute's budget dropping from $7.22 billion to an estimated $4.1–4.5 billion. The proposal also eliminates the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, which houses the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control — the office that funds the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, providing screenings to over 6.3 million eligible people. These are proposed cuts, not yet finalized law; Congress must still act on FY2026 and FY2027 appropriations.
6.3 Million
PEOPLE SCREENED THROUGH THE PROGRAM ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Vaccine Schedule
One dose. Not ACIP's call.
In January 2026, the CDC cut the recommended HPV vaccine series from two doses to one — but not on ACIP's recommendation. All 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices were dismissed in June 2025, and the change came from an internal HHS review instead. A new ACIP workgroup is now reviewing HPV vaccine dosing and safety data, with results expected at a future meeting. Insurers have committed to covering vaccines recommended as of September 1, 2025 through the end of 2026 — but coverage for a second dose beyond that point is unclear.