President Joe Biden has once again spoken out about his goals to "end cancer as we know it" throughout the United States.
On Tuesday, March 1, the 79-year-old POTUS spoke at the United States Capitol as he delivered his State of the Union address.
During his speech, Biden once again echoed his desire to tackle the death rate caused by cancer, adding: "This is personal."
Biden started by addressing congress over the toxic exposures US military forces faced while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan faced many dangers," Biden said, adding: "One was stationed at bases and breathing in toxic smoke from 'burn pits' that incinerated wastes of war—medical and hazard material, jet fuel, and more."
He said that when the soldiers returned home from the US, there were "never the same" - with many suffering from "headaches, numbness, and dizziness".
Speaking about his own son, Beau - who died from cancer in 2015 at the age of 46 - Biden added: "A cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin. I know.
"One of those soldiers was my son Major Beau Biden.
"We don’t know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops. But I’m committed to finding out everything we can."
Biden then spoke about other soldiers who had returned home and been "ravaged" by cancer.
In an effort to combat these losses, Biden announced: "Tonight, I’m announcing we’re expanding eligibility to veterans suffering from nine respiratory cancers.
"I’m also calling on Congress: Pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve."
Biden then declared: "And fourth, let’s end cancer as we know it. This is personal to me and Jill, to Kamala, and to so many of you.
"Cancer is the number two cause of death in America–second only to heart disease."
The president then spoke about his plans to once again "supercharge" the Cancer Moonshot resources program that President Obama asked him to lead back in 2016.
"Our goal is to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years, turn more cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases," Biden said on Tuesday. "More support for patients and families.
"To get there, I call on Congress to fund ARPA-H, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. It’s based on DARPA—the Defense Department project that led to the Internet, GPS, and so much more.
ARPA-H will have a singular purpose—to drive breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and more."
Biden concluded by saying: "A unity agenda for the nation. We can do this."
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