Two weeks after the 2024 election, the Presidency and 119th Congress are coming into focus, with nearly all races called. Republican Donald Trump was elected President, and Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate (53–47) and maintained control in the House of Representatives (218–212 at press time, with five races undecided).The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) remains committed to advancing its advocacy priorities, as determined by the Government Relations Committee and approved by the ASCO Association Board of Directors. ASCO’s Advocacy team will continue its long-standing tradition of working in a bipartisan manner on issues important to the cancer community. With strong relationships on Capitol Hill, ASCO is well positioned to remain influential in shaping the health-care agenda in the 119th Congress.
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) remains committed to advancing its advocacy priorities, as determined by the Government Relations Committee and approved by the ASCO Association Board of Directors. ASCO’s Advocacy team will continue its long-standing tradition of working in a bipartisan manner on issues important to the cancer community. With strong relationships on Capitol Hill, ASCO is well positioned to remain influential in shaping the health-care agenda in the 119th Congress.
The ASCO Association PAC, under the guidance of the PAC Advisory Council, weighed into multiple elections to help advance its advocacy priorities. Of the 42 candidates ASCO Association PAC supported in 2024, 40 won their respective elections, a 95% success rate.
Many of ASCO’s cancer care and research champions are returning to the House including Rep. Brian -Fitzpatrick (R-PA), member of the Ways and Means Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus and Childhood Cancer Caucus; and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Representative DeGette will likely serve as ranking member on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health in the next session of Congress.
In the Senate, cancer care and research champion Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) won a very close race. Senator Baldwin was awarded the “Congressional Champion for Cancer Care Award” at the Association for Clinical Oncology’s 2024 Advocacy Summit. Next year, she will likely serve as Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
Since the election, both parties in each chamber have been meeting to select their leaders. Senator John Thune (R-SD) was elected to serve as the next Majority Leader replacing long-time leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Senator Thune is an experienced health policy expert and has been a champion of rural health issues and telehealth expansion. He has collaborated with other policymakers on bills to improve pharmacy benefit manager transparency, reform the 340B drug pricing program, and reform prior authorization practices under Medicare Advantage. Current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the Republican nomination to remain speaker and is expected to be reelected when the full House votes in January. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was reelected to serve as House Democratic Leader.
Committee assignments will be announced early next year once the new Congress has been sworn in. ASCO is actively developing relationships with new key committee members who will have a significant impact on health-care legislation. The Association remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for people with cancer and their providers.
The ASCO Association is identifying new contacts and beginning to build relationships with the new administration and is monitoring appointments to relevant federal agencies such as Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As with past transitions, ASCO will continue to look for opportunities to work with the administration and respond to policies impacting the cancer community throughout the rule-making process.
At the state level, gubernatorial elections were held in Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. Republicans won 8 of 11 gubernatorial races, and Democrats won 3. No governorships “flipped” political parties. In 2025, 27 states will have Republican governors, and 23 states will have Democrat governors.
Elections were also held for nearly 5,800 of the 7,386 state legislative seats. Notable results include:
- Republicans gained control of the Michigan House and achieved a tie in the Minnesota House.
- At press time, the Alaska House has not been called, but it appears a bipartisan coalition will flip it from Republican control.
- Republicans held onto both legislative chambers in Arizona and New Hampshire, whereas Democrats retained the Pennsylvania House.
- Republicans now have 23 “trifectas” (control of both legislative chambers and the governorship), Democrats have 15, and 12 states have a divided government.
ASCO staff continue to evaluate the impact of the election on the Association’s advocacy priorities, strategies, and tactics. The Association also continues its work to build relationships with policymakers across the country. ASCO members are encouraged to participate in these efforts through the Advocacy at Home program and by using the ACT Network to contact their lawmakers on key issues.
© American Society of Clinical Oncology. ASCO in Action. November 19, 2024. All rights reserved.
