Bernie Sanders torpedoes bipartisan bill aimed at boosting kids’ cancer drugs
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A bipartisan bill supporting research for cancer drugs for children was quietly defeated in the Senate last week, undermining the legislation for the second year in a row.
The Mikaela Nylon Giving Kids a Chance Act is poised to move through a fast-track process, gaining near-unanimous support in the Senate on Wednesday, save for one lawmaker trying to amend the bill: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Sen. Sen., R-Okla., introduced the bill to the chamber. “What did we have in front of us here? The Grinch is stealing children’s lives and they’re stealing hope from families, they’re stealing hope from families who just had the opportunity to try a political agenda,” said Markwayne Mullin.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blocked bipartisan legislation that would fund children’s cancer research by adding funding to community health center legislation. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“And I hope to God that every family that goes through this will hold the Vermont senator accountable and the state of Vermont will hold him accountable because he’s playing with children’s lives,” she continued. “He’s literally killing children right in front of our eyes because of his political action, and it’s ridiculous.”
Sanders’ move to block the bill did not come as a surprise. As pediatric cancer research advocates looked on from the viewing gallery, many lawmakers who spoke in favor of the legislation urged him not to implement the decision. But doing so puts the bill back to square one once again as Congress enters a new year.
The Vermont independent explained that he has no problem with legislation that would encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical companies to promote more relevant pediatric studies and invest in rare pediatric disease treatments, but he wants to consider an amendment that would fund community health centers across the country.
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Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol during a vote on President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” compromise package on June 30, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“This is not a radical change,” Sanders said. “I’m not here to say, ‘Let’s do something we haven’t talked about.’ I’m not talking about passing Medicare for All. I’m talking about doing the thing that Republicans and Democrats agreed on a year ago but was undermined by some tweets from Elon Musk.”
Lawmakers had already drafted a version of the bill last year in addition to a massive, year-end temporary funding extension drafted by the House.
But that package was ultimately nixed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who came to Washington, D.C. at the time to serve as the government’s waste attack dog in President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
What was eventually agreed to in late 2024 was a weakened, three-month extension of government funding without a pediatric cancer research bill, with some other policy and funding supporters eyeing it from both sides of the aisle.
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk briefly served as President Donald Trump’s government waste attack dog at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Lawmakers who supported Mullin’s bill argued that they supported Sanders’ desire to fund community health centers, but the underlying law was too important to allow a relapse.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., said he shares the concern about increasing funding for health centers and is committed to doing so when Congress returns, but “the irony here is that the opposition comes from a real concern about people having access to health care.”
“But there is literally no one way to cure the diseases of the United States, and it is not right to think we can do it all at once,” Cassidy said. “But it’s also not right to say that if you don’t get what you want, you won’t give children a chance to find a cure for cancer. That’s selfish. It’s tragic.”
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And Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., shared Sanders’ concern but noted that the GOP-controlled House is not committed to solving the community health center funding issue.
“While I am disappointed that the House is not prepared to support increased funding for community health centers, I also believe it is important to act now on this package to help address pediatric cancer and reduce prescription drug costs,” he said. “So I am disappointed that this bill will not be forwarded today.”
