Crenshaw: Florida ANG 125th Fighter Wing Fire/Rescue Station Funded at $9M in FY 2017 MILCON, Vets Affairs Approps Bill

Press Release

Congressman Ander Crenshaw, Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense announced his vote in support for the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill (H.R. 4974) on the House floor on Thursday (5/19). The measure, which contains resources for Northeast Florida, provides funding to house, train, and equip military personnel, provide housing and services to military families, help maintain base infrastructure, and fund veterans' benefits and programs.

The comprehensive bill passed by a vote of 295 to 129 and now moves to the United States Senate for consideration. In his statement of support for the measure, Crenshaw, who also chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, highlighted the following projects in the legislation:

* Florida Air National Guard 125th Fighter Wing at Jacksonville International Airport: $9 million for the replacement of a fire/crash rescue station to serve the Florida Air National Guard 125th Fighter Wing at Jacksonville International Airport.

* MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial System Forward Operating Base Hangar: $41.4 million to fund the construction of a MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial System Forward Operating Base Hangar at one of three locations: Naval Station Mayport; Naval Air Station Key West; or National Aeronautics and Space Administration Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Short of Virginia. Environmental assessments are underway and a final location decision is expected later this year.

"To protect and defend the freedoms we hold so dear, we must provide our military with state-of-the-art infrastructure and top-notch training and support," said Crenshaw. "The fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill meets that goal in Northeast Florida and beyond. New safety facilities at the Air National Guard 125th Fighter Wing at Jacksonville International Airport are funded and Forward Operating Base Hangar for the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial System moves forward."

"Our servicemen and women, their families, and our veterans, who have put their lives on the line for our freedom, have earned and deserve the support that this bill provided," Crenshaw continued. "Funding increases for veterans programs will ensure veterans have timely and easy access to key benefits -- among them VA medical services, electronic health record modernization, disability claims backlog improvement, facilities construction, and increased VA accountability and oversight."

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