April 24, 2026 / 6:02 PM EDT / CBS News
Ben Sasse says he is “on extended time.” The former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer in December and was told he had three or four months to live. He credits “providence, prayer and a miracle drug” — a clinical trial treatment that has shrunk his tumors by 76% — for buying him more time.
Revolution Medicines’ daraxonrasib, the drug in the trial, has extended survival for patients who might otherwise have lived about six months to roughly 13 months on average. Sasse discussed his diagnosis, his family and his faith in an interview with Scott Pelley airing Sunday on 60 Minutes. More of their conversation will be available in a special edition of “Things That Matter” Sunday night on Paramount+, CBSNews.com, and YouTube.
The former senator also spoke about American politics and the state of Congress. “Neither of these parties really have very big or good ideas about 2030 or 2050,” he said. “The Congress is not wrestling with bigger important questions right now.”