In a poignant move, President Joe Biden has announced a significant financial award for cancer research, marking a personal cause that holds immense importance for him. The announcement comes as part of the Cancer Moonshot program, which aims to cut American cancer deaths in half within the next two decades.

The Cancer Moonshot program, established during Biden's tenure as Vice President, has been bolstered with billions of dollars in new funding since 2022. On Tuesday, Biden unveiled $150 million in new research awards, including $23 million for Tulane University, where the announcement was made.

"We're mobilizing the whole country effort to cut American cancer deaths in half by 20, 25 years and boost support for patients and their families. I'm confident in our capacity to do that. I know we can, but it's not just personal - it's about what's possible," Biden stated during the announcement.

As President Biden concludes his term, the White House, including Vice President Kamala Harris, is working diligently to distribute as much funding as possible under current programs. The focus is on unleashing funds through Biden's signature infrastructure, semiconductor, and clean energy legislation.

Vice President Harris is expected to leverage these laws, especially those where she played a significant role, as she crafts her own economic platform. Harris has advocated for lead pipe funding, high-speed internet deployment, and authored legislation on clean school buses, which became part of the infrastructure law.

While President Biden has passed the campaign trail baton to Harris, he is dedicating the twilight of his five-decade career in public service to causes that are deeply personal to him. Cancer research, specifically, holds immense significance for the president, and his senior team is working to amplify his work and cement his legacy.

Since its inception in 2022, the Cancer Moonshot has received $4 billion from Congress and awarded $400 million to outside entities. However, this budget, while substantial for a single policy, is relatively small compared to the trillions of dollars in new government spending ushered in by the Biden administration.

In the remaining months, President Biden plans to prioritize distributing tens of billions of funds earmarked for his signature laws, traveling overseas for diplomatic engagements, and making policy pronouncements, including using executive authority where possible.

Despite having more downtime, President Biden still intends to campaign for Vice President Harris in states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where his administration holds appeal for older, suburban voters.

In an interview with CBS News, President Biden recalled his late son Beau Biden's words, promising to remain committed to service. Fulfilling this pledge, Biden has made bolstering the cancer initiative part of his so-called "unity agenda," along with other policies like higher penalties for fentanyl trafficking and legislation regulating artificial intelligence.

However, during this highly charged election year, progress on these initiatives may be symbolic at best, given the lack of activity expected in Congress beyond funding the government.

President Biden has proposed term limits and a binding code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, as well as a constitutional amendment removing immunity for crimes committed while serving as president. While carrying out these proposals may be challenging, the president aims to establish a "stake in the ground" on issues he considers critical.

Under the leadership of Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, Cabinet agencies and executive branch staff have been instructed to source new policy ideas in four main categories: Implementing existing legislation, lowering costs, safeguarding personal freedoms, and strengthening the United States' place in the world.

Domestically, the White House remains focused on getting money out the door and shovels in the ground on Biden's signature legislative measures. To date, some $563 billion have been awarded to projects funded by the infrastructure, semiconductor, and clean energy laws.

Senior administration officials have indicated that Zients and deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian, who leads the administration's efforts to implement the laws, are in constant communication to track progress and funding.

Much of the trillion-plus dollars in government funding and credits is scheduled for annual release, with 80% of the money under the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act already awarded. The Commerce Department anticipates granting the full $39 billion in grants from the CHIPS and Science Act by year-end, with additional funding for ancillary activities to follow.

The Treasury Department has enabled businesses and individuals to apply for nearly all tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act.

"We're moving as quickly as we can" to implement these policies, a senior administration official stated.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted that his agency has distributed $12 billion in funding but still has unspent resources allocated to the Department of Agriculture. Vilsack emphasized the importance of investing resources wisely and cautioned against rescinding unspent funds by future Congresses or administrations.

As the fiscal year resets on October 1, there is increased urgency to make available the torrent of new capital to qualifying agencies and local authorities before the end of President Biden's term.

This article was written with contributions from CNN's Samantha Waldenberg.