HRES-806-119
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Sponsored by Earl Carter (R-GA)
What it does
This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' support for recognizing October 2025 as "National Breast Cancer Awareness Month." It contains a series of factual statements about breast cancer statistics, survival rates, and disparities among racial groups, but does not create any new law, program, or funding.
Who benefits
Breast cancer advocacy and research organizations that gain increased visibility during the observance month; breast cancer survivors, patients, and their families who may feel their experiences are publicly acknowledged; no direct financial or legal beneficiaries since the resolution creates no programs or funding.
Who is hurt
No group is materially harmed by this resolution, as it carries no binding legal, regulatory, or fiscal effect.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that formally recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month raises public visibility for a disease that affects over 319,000 new patients annually and helps highlight disparities, such as the nearly 38 percent higher mortality rate among Black women compared to White women. They contend that such resolutions can encourage screening, donations to research, and public attention to underfunded areas like metastatic breast cancer, where no cure currently exists.
Opponents argue
Critics of commemorative resolutions in general argue that they consume floor time and committee resources without producing any binding policy change, funding increase, or enforceable action to address the disparities and research gaps the resolution describes. They contend that symbolic gestures may substitute for substantive legislative action, such as expanded funding for cancer research or screening access, without actually delivering those outcomes.
Constitutional context
This resolution raises no constitutional question beyond Congress's general authority to adopt simple resolutions expressing the sense of a chamber, which does not require presidential signature and has no legal force.
Checks and balances
The House alone adopts this resolution under its own internal rulemaking authority; it does not involve the executive or judicial branches and creates no enforceable obligations for any branch.
Historical precedent
Congress has passed similar commemorative resolutions recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month in previous years, though these carry no binding legal effect.