Senator Collins Announces $2 Billion Boost for Biomedical Research Clears Key Hurdle

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the Appropriations Committee approved $36.1 billion—a $2 billion increase—for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the third consecutive year as part of the Department of Health and Human Services funding bill. The legislation, which passed the committee by a vote of 30-1, also includes $1.8 billion—a $414 million increase—for Alzheimer’s research at the NIH. It now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

“As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I have strongly advocated for increased funding for biomedical research. I am proud that this appropriations bill provides the NIH with an additional $2 billion as well as a nearly 30 percent increase for research on Alzheimer’s, our nation’s most costly disease,” said Senator Collins. “This legislation builds off a tradition of bipartisan support for biomedical research and will spur the advancement of treatments, means of prevention, and cures for diseases that affect nearly every American family.”

As the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee and the founder and co-chair of the Senate Alzheimer’s Task Force, working to support caregivers and increase federal funding for biomedical research are among Senator Collins’ top priorities.

In 2011, Senator Collins introduced the National Alzheimer’s Project Act with then-Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). That law convened a panel of experts, who determined that $2 billion per year in research funding is needed to achieve our goal of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by the year 2025. The $1.8 billion provided by the legislation the committee passed today brings us closer to the $2 billion goal.