Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $2,679,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. The legislation, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in July, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.
“Leading the charge in the advancement of biomedical research, scientists at The Jackson Laboratory are conducting impressive research to improve human health and overcome challenges that affect nearly every family across the country,” said Senator Collins. “This funding would support equipment upgrades, helping JAX continue its groundbreaking research. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”
“I want to thank Senator Collins for supporting our request to significantly strengthen the biomedical imaging and microscopy technology on our Bar Harbor campus. These high-powered tools enable scientists to view the mechanisms of cells at a molecular level, advancing the search for solutions to human disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and rare diseases,” said Lon Cardon, President and CEO, The Jackson Laboratory. “Maine’s biomedical community is fortunate that Senator Collins shares our vision for a new era in human health and recognizes the importance of investing in infrastructure to propel Maine’s innovation economy.”
Funding for this project would support upgraded research equipment for biomedical imaging and advanced microscopy at JAX. These technologies would allow researchers to gather critical data using a variety of imaging systems to see biological activity at higher resolution, higher speed, and at a smaller scale than is possible with current equipment.
This funding advanced through the Committee’s markup of the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill—an important step that now allows the bill to be considered by the full Senate.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $1 billion for hundreds of Maine projects for FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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