SRES-570-119
Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S140; text: CR 12/18/2025 S8925)
Sponsored by Tina Smith (D-MN)
What it does
This Senate resolution would designate November 2025 as "National Lung Cancer Awareness Month," the first week of November as "National Women's Lung Cancer Awareness Week," and the second Saturday of November as "National Lung Cancer Screening Day." It would express Senate support for awareness, education, and research on lung cancer risk, screening, and treatment, and encourage people to observe the month with educational activities. It creates no programs, mandates, or funding.
Who benefits
Lung cancer patients, survivors, and families, who may gain visibility and reduced stigma. Patient advocacy and research organizations that use awareness periods for outreach. Groups the resolution highlights as having higher risk or low screening rates, including veterans, Black men, women and people who never smoked. Health care providers and screening facilities that may see greater public interest in screening.
Who is hurt
No group is meaningfully affected. The resolution is non-binding, imposes no requirements, and spends no money. Any costs are limited to minor Senate floor time.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that lung cancer is the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths, with an estimated 124,730 deaths in 2025, yet only 16 percent of high-risk people get screened. They contend that a national awareness designation costs nothing and may help raise screening rates, since the resolution cites a 67 percent five-year survival rate when caught early versus 12 percent when it has spread.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that commemorative resolutions are symbolic and do not change screening access, insurance coverage, or research funding, which are the barriers the text itself identifies. They contend that Senate time and attention may be better spent on substantive legislation, and that the large number of designated awareness days may dilute the impact of any single one.
Constitutional context
This resolution raises no constitutional question beyond the Senate's authority to adopt non-binding simple resolutions under its Article I, Section 5 rulemaking power. It has no force of law and does not invoke the spending or commerce powers.
Checks and balances
The Senate alone expresses its view; it does not go to the House or President and creates no new authority for any branch, so no checks are needed.
Historical precedent
Congress has regularly adopted similar non-binding resolutions designating national awareness months for specific diseases, including lung cancer awareness resolutions in prior Congresses.