Great Lakes Wire

Peters Secured $28 Million for Hangar Through His Role on the Senate Armed Services Committee 

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, MI – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer along with federal, state, and local officials from the Michigan delegation at Selfridge Air National Guard Base to discuss securing a new fighter jet mission and participate in the groundbreaking of a new aircraft hangar. The new hangar, and accompanying maintenance facilities, was made possible by $28 million in federal funding Peters secured through his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The new 41,900 square-foot facility will transform two hangars into a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance. The new facility will house maintenance on the main level and leadership/staff offices and classrooms on the second floor.

“Today’s visit shows our delegation’s united, bipartisan support of – and staunch commitment to – the future of Selfridge Air National Guard Base,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. “It was exciting to participate in the groundbreaking for the new hangar and accompanying maintenance facilities, after securing $28 million in federal funding to make the upgrades possible. I’m proud knowing this investment will help advance Selfridge’s defense capabilities and capacity to host a new fighter jet mission.” 

“Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the men and women who serve here play a vital role in keeping our state and our nation safe. Today’s groundbreaking is yet another example of our delegation’s continued strategy to position Selfridge into the future,” said Senator Stabenow. “We are fully committed to securing a new fighter mission at Selfridge.”

Peters recently convened a bipartisan, bicameral meeting with Stabenow, the Michigan congressional delegation, and U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall to continue to push for a new, long-term fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. This meeting came after the Senators led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary Kendall calling for a new fighter mission at Selfridge. Peters, Stabenow, and the delegation have also introduced companion resolutions in the Senate and House to highlight the contributions of Selfridge.

Peters and Stabenow additionally previously secured significant commitments from the Department of Defense, including a pledge that Selfridge will continue to play a “critical and ongoing role for our national security.”

Selfridge supports approximately 5,000 military and civilian jobs and generates an estimated $850 million in economic impact statewide.

Original source can be found here