Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, S 3302, HR 1262

Dear Friends and Family:

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act. After 364 days, we were finally back to where we had been December 2024, when our bill had been struck from the end-of-year funding CR, along with 900 pages of bipartisan health care provisions, as a result of Elon Musk’s tweets.

The House also dedicated the Act to Mikaela Naylon, a brilliant, fun, powerful and gorgeous 16-year-old with osteosarcoma who had advocated for the Give Kids a Chance Act and who had spent her last weeks asking Congress to pass it.

Last night, the Senate took up the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act. I wish I could tell you that it had a happy outcome.

Senator Cassidy promised to pass in 2026 a priority of Senator Sanders’: community health centers.

Senator Hassan asked Senator Sanders to support passage of the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act because everyone supports it, and because Senator Sanders’ priority list is so expensive and has no identified pay-for to offset its costs.

A vote was taken. Senator Sanders voted “Nay,” blocking passage.

Senator Sanders said he was not satisfied with Senator Cassidy’s offer. He asked for the community health centers provision and the rest of the healthcare package that was struck in December 2024 to be passed as an amendment to the Give Kids a Chance Act.

Another vote was taken. Senator Mullin voted “Nay,” blocking passage.

There can be more votes in the future, but this is worrisome. Why doesn’t our bill deserve support? Why don’t our kids with cancer and with other life-threatening illnesses deserve care? What does it mean to take-one-for-the-team when Jacob has already died? What else can be asked of us?

I had an entire post ready to send to you, but I send this instead. I’ll include the clips I had wanted you to see, including the entire Senate debate below.

Today we start again. We are so close. Thank you for your support.

Nancy

We are still in the long slog: the Give Kids a Chance Act was introduced in both chambers but did not get into the markups we were aiming for in April for reasons entirely unrelated to our bill. The Give Kids a Chance Act also did not get into the reconciliation bill — it was not eligible.

This month, it's a new problem: there is so much bad blood in Congress that bills are not moving. We will have our next opportunity:
— for markups in the House Energy and Commerce Committee and in the Senate HELP Committee,
— for a House suspension vote and a Senate unanimous consent vote, and
— for inclusion in the September continuing resolution to fund the budget. 

Meanwhile, we continue to build support for Give Kids a Chance Act by collecting a whopping 190 cosponsors.‍ ‍Give Kids a Chance Act is now one of the top 10 most cosponsored bipartisan bills in Congress.‍ ‍

Only 2% of all bills pass into law.Give Kids a Chance Act must be in that 2% — We ask Republicans and Democrats to come together to protect kids with cancer.

Kids v Cancer is thrilled to announce that yesterday, the Give Kids a Chance Act was introduced in the Senate.

However, Kids v Cancer is also disappointed to announce that the Give Kids a Chance Act was not included in the House of Representatives continuing resolution (CR) to fund the budget.

Senate Introduces the Give Kids a Chance Act, S 932, HR 1262

 We thank Senators Markwayne Mullin and Michael Bennet for introducing the Give Kids a Chance Act, S932 yesterday. Senators Mullin and Bennet have a long history of helping children with cancer.  

The Give Kids a Chance Act combines two critical initiatives for drug development for children with cancer — the original Give Kids a Chance Act and the Creating Hope Reauthorization Act.

• Today, thousands of successful drug combination therapies are being developed for adults with cancer. But children with cancer only get trials of one new drug at a time. The original Give Kids a Chance Act removes regulatory hurdles and authorizes the FDA to direct companies to study combinations of cancer drugs in kids as well. The Give Kids a Chance Act ensures children can have the same chance at cures as adults.

• The Creating Hope Reauthorization Act provides incentives for companies to develop drugs expressly for kids with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses even though the markets for such drugs are so small. This law has resulted in over 60 new drugs for kids with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses since it was first passed in 2012. However, Congress let it expire last December!

The Give Kids a Chance Act does all this without costing taxpayers a dime

The House did not include the Give Kids a Chance Act in yesterday’s CR

The Give Kids a Chance Act had been included in last December’s CR until it was cut as as a result of Elon Musk's tweets. Congress had another chance yesterday, when the House passed the next CR. But, to our disappointment, the Give Kids a Chance Act was not included.

 We call upon the Senate and the House to pass the Give Kids a Chance Act as quickly as possible with what legislative options are left – a House suspension vote and a Senate unanimous consent vote.

February 12, 2025

Today, we are thrilled to announce Congressman Michael McCaul has reintroduced the Give Kids a Chance Act in the House of Representatives. 

Last year, the Give Kids a Chance Act was passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

And, the Give Kids a Chance Act does not cost taxpayers a dime.

Last December, we were riding high when Give Kids a Chance Act was included in Congress’ end-of-year funding bill in December 2024. We were three hours from victory. But three hours before a scheduled vote, after surprise tweets, the funding bill fell apart and the Give Kids a Chance Act was cut. We had one more chance. At 11:50 pm on December 20th, the last hour of the 118th Congress, the Senate took up our bills. Senator Rand Paul objected. The vote failed. We were back to square one.

Today, the House has taken a major step to forward the Give Kids a Chance Act once again.

We were elated on December 17th when Congress included our pediatric cancer drug development bills, the Creating Hope Reauthorization Act pediatric priority review voucher program and the Give Kids a Chance Act, in the federal end-of-year funding bill. We were so close to victory.

But three hours before a scheduled vote, after surprise tweets, the funding bill fell apart. What Congress ultimately passed was a stripped down bill from which the Creating Hope Reauthorization Act, the Give Kids a Chance Act, Accelerating Kids Access to Drugs Act, RARE Act, and Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act, were cut.

We went into action. Social media stories blew up the internet. We were covered by CNN, ABC, MSNBC, STATNews, Newsweek, Rolling Stones, The Bulkward.

We had one more chance. At 11:50 pm on December 20th, the last hour of the 118th Congress, the Senate took up our bills. Senator Rand Paul objected. The vote failed.

Although Congress eventually funded the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program, we have gone backwards. The pediatric voucher program has expired. There are no paths to new cures for kids with cancer with combinations of new drugs