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In March of 1930, the Senate Commerce Committee heard the testimony of prominent cancer researchers, advocates, and others discussing cancer in the U.S. and expressing the need for a national clinic. The passage of the National Cancer Act of 1937 formed the beginnings of the NCI we know today. The NCI Director and his senior staff are often called upon by Congress to testify on a wide range of topics. Their testimony, as well as information about proposed legislation that would impact cancer care in the U.S., is made available to members of the community.
 
FY 2008 Budget Request for NCI ²
Official testimony by the NCI Director to request the budget for the National Cancer Institute for fiscal year 2008.

Congressional Testimony ³
NCI subject matter experts are asked to testify before Congress on a wide range of topics. Previous NCI-specific appropriations hearings or hearings that focused on a particular cancer-related topic are available. NCI witness names, titles, and testimonies are provided along with the name of the committee that held the hearing.

Congressional Justification ⁴
When the President submits the Executive Branch Budget to Congress each year, the Executive agencies submit a document called the Congressional Justification. This document justifies the request by the President; explaining the mission of the agency, outlining the goals and objectives of the coming fiscal year, and providing comparative data for the previous, current, and proposed budget.

NCI Legislative Authorities ⁵
The National Cancer Act of 1937 established the National Cancer Institute. It made the NCI the federal government's primary agency addressing research and training needs for the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Over the years, portions of the Public Health Service Act, which made NCI an operating division of the NIH, were amended by the National Cancer Act of 1971 and subsequent Acts that have helped to form the NCI we know today.

NIH Reform Act of 2006 ⁶
The NIH Reform Act amends the Public Health Service Act to cap the number of Institutes and Centers (ICs) at 27, provide the Director of NIH with expanded authority to manage the agency, encourage ICs to collaborate on trans-NIH research, and reform the agency's reporting system so that Congress can evaluate the NIH research portfolio.

NCI's State Cancer Legislative Database (SCLD) Program ⁷
The SCLD maintains information about state legislation and regulation addressing cancer-related topics.