Last week, President Obama released his federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2013. While this document does not by itself dictate policy, it outlines the President’s priority areas and lays the groundwork for the budget debate to come.

Like many in the brain tumor and cancer communities, we were left scratching our heads after reading the proposal. The President has talked the talk when it comes to our priority issues. In 2009, he made a commitment to finding a cure for cancer in our lifetime during the State of the Union address. And just a few weeks ago, he again used the State of the Union to show support, touting the advances that federally funded research is making in the search for a cure.

After the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) both received an increase in funding last December - thanks to your advocacy - we had reason to be hopeful that we’d see continued progress this year.

But with this new budget proposal, the Obama administration is showing that they aren’t ready to walk the walk. The FY13 budget proposal keeps NIH at 2012 funding levels and cuts funding for NCI, which could prove detrimental to current progress toward new treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

We know that times are tough and but brain tumor patients and caregivers face a life-threatening disease. Cutting research funding in one year can derail progress for many years. As the federal budget is squeezed tighter, a growing number of interests will clamor to be heard by decision-makers in Washington, DC. We can’t let our voices get lost in the din. We need to rise above the noise, louder than ever, and let the President and Members of Congress know that a cure can’t wait.