DeLauro Statement On Passage Of Amendment To Help Update Aging Helicopter Fleet

Statement

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding the Zinke-Schweikert-DeLauro Amendment to the FY 2017 Defense Bill. The amendment will provide $80 million for the Air Force's UH-1N Huey helicopters replacement program, which currently provides security for the nation's nuclear ICBM sites.

"The United States is facing a critical national security threat with our aging Vietnam-era helicopter fleet and we must deal with it and in short order. My amendment provides funding so the Air Force can move forward with urgency to replace the UH-1Ns. We cannot afford to delay.

"As the home to the nation's finest helicopter developer, I am confident that Connecticut will continue to play a central role in updating the nation's helicopter fleet. Sikorsky's UH-60M Black Hawk is the only helicopter currently available that can meet the requirements and be purchased this year. Men and women across Connecticut are working hard to deliver the best helicopters in the world to our military, and with this amendment I will continue to fight to keep these jobs in Stratford."

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