{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/icymi-inside-indiana-business-banks-calls-for-grissom-to-be-new-u-s-space-academy-home/", "ICYMI: Inside Indiana Business:\u00a0Banks\u00a0Calls\u00a0for Grissom\u00a0to\u00a0Be\u00a0New U.S. Space Academy Home", "2026-09-28", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Jim Banks", "B001299", "www.banks.senate.gov", "banks", "https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Click here to read the full story or read below.\n\nBunker Hill, Ind. \u00ad\u00ad\u2014 Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., wants a site in north central Indiana to become the new home of the U.S. Space Academy.\n\nIn a letter sent Thursday to Jared Isaacman, chairman of the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy, Banks urged the commission to select Grissom Air Reserve Base and the surrounding Grissom Aeroplex as the site for the academy.\n\nBanks cited Grissom\u2019s connection to Lt. Col. Virgil \u201cGus\u201d Grissom, an Indiana native and the second American to fly in space. He also highlighted the site\u2019s \u201csubstantial capacity for future classrooms, housing, and training infrastructure, along with access to a 12,501-foot runway, one of the longest in the Midwest.\u201d\n\nPresident Donald Trump issued an order on Aug. 28 establishing the U.S. Space Academy and the commission, led by Isaacman, which will develop the framework for the academy and select a permanent physical location.\n\nThe order said the country must \u201cprepare the next generation of astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and warfighters and ensure that they are capable of advancing American interests in space.\u201d\n\nGrissom Air Reserve Base is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, which is equipped with the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and special taskings to generate aircraft and crews in support of the Air Mobility Command. The Grissom Aeroplex is a business park that encompasses more than 850 acres.\n\nIn his letter, Banks said Indiana offers the academic and industrial ecosystem necessary to support the Academy\u2019s long-term mission.\n\n\u201cThe state offers a low cost of living, leading STEM and research universities, and a growing aerospace, defense, and advanced-manufacturing workforce,\u201d Banks said. \u201cIndiana companies already contribute directly to America\u2019s space missions, including 21 suppliers supporting NASA\u2019s Artemis program. Locating the Space Academy at Grissom would give cadets access to this broader network and create opportunities to connect classroom education with hands-on experience across the civil, commercial, and national security sectors.\u201d\n\nThe commission is required to submit its report on establishing the academy to the president within 120 days of the order.\n\nYou can read the full letter from Banks by clicking here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-29T11:07:12Z", "2026-09-29T11:08:49Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/icymi-inside-indiana-business-banks-calls-for-grissom-to-be-new-u-s-space-academy-home/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9439005516469479, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}