NBCC Champions Democracy
All 50 states certified the ballots cast for President in the 2020 election. On January 6th as required by the U.S. Constitution, Congress met to certify the electoral college vote. This process was met with opposition from a number of Republicans in the House and Senate who contested the legality of the 2020 presidential election. As you know by now, rioters mobbed Capitol Hill and broke into the Capitol itself, forcing Congress to recess for several hours while police cleared the building. Ultimately, Congress certified the vote and paved the way for President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris’s upcoming inauguration on January 20th, 2021.
Since NBCC’s founding in 1991, our mission has been to end breast cancer through the power of action and advocacy. NBCC is committed to continuing to advance our public policy and legislative agenda and mobilize advocates to end breast cancer. To make our mission a reality, we will continue to engage in a meaningful dialogue and collaboration with Congress and a new White House. We look forward to once again walking the halls of Congress and the Capitol to show real democracy in action to effect change for our cause. You can read the statement NBCC President, Fran Visco here.
117th Congress by the Numbers
Sunday, January 3rd marked the beginning of the 117th Congressional session. After the contentious runoff elections for the Georgia Senate seats, Democrats will hold majorities in both the House and Senate. Shifting control in the Senate could dramatically change the nature of bills brought to the floor and should improve the outlook for approving NBCC’s policy priorities. However, the narrow margins in both chambers will require bipartisan support to enact any legislation. Here is a numerical outline of the 117th Congress:
There are some notable “firsts” for this freshman class. In the House, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO-01) is the first Black Congresswoman from Missouri and Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), is the first Black member from Washington. Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) and Mondaire Jones (D-NY-17) make history as the first two Black men who identify as gay to be elected into Congress. Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-NM-02) makes history as the first Native American Republican woman elected to Congress. Finally, Reps. Michelle Steel (R-CA-48) and Young Kim (R-CA-39) are the first Korean American women.
Over in the Senate, a historic and hard-fought battle in the Georgia runoff elections resulted in Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) as the first Black U.S. Senator elected from the state. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) makes history as the first female senator from Wyoming.
NBCC Resources and Tools Help You Take Action
This New Member Guide outlines the new and returning Members of the 117th Congress, plus committee assignments, a breakdown of the House and Senate demographics, and much more.
The 117th Congress was elected to office by your voice and your vote. Elected officials are responsive to you as their constituents. There is a unique power in your voice as a constituent. Advocating for legislative actions that will help end breast cancer carries significant weight when the advocacy comes from a constituent.
We need your voice on Capitol Hill. One easy way to reach out is to use the NBCC Action Center. Here you can share NBCC resources and priorities with your Members with just a few clicks. If you are interested more information on NBCC’s public policy activities, please send an email to policy@stopbreastcancer.org.
Finalizing NBCC’s 2021 Policy Priorities
NBCC’s network of advocates has been responsible over the years for bringing more than $4 billion to the worldwide scientific community, expanding access to health care for the uninsured, ensuring trained advocate participation in meaningful decision making, and much more. That record of success begins with the NBCC Board of Directors each year setting the agenda. The Board will decide NBCC’s 2021 Legislative and Public Policy Priorities during their January board meeting. The criteria for consideration by the Board remain the same: the policy must have an overarching, significant impact on ending breast cancer and not focus on a particular aspect of our mission or a specific type of breast cancer. Wednesday, January 20th is the last day to submit a policy suggestion for NBCC’s board to consider. You must include background information on your suggested policy, and an explanation of why you believe it should be an NBCC priority and falls within the criteria set out above.
Join Us
Join the tens of thousands like you who want to end breast cancer. For just $35 a year, you can become an NBCC member and receive exclusive benefits. For more information about being a member, click here.
