{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-announces-missouri-priorities-included-in-defense-and-military-construction-funding-bills", "Blunt Announces Missouri Priorities Included in Defense & Military Construction Funding Bills", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S.\r\nSenator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on\r\nDefense, today announced that several key Missouri and national defense\r\npriorities were included in the FY2020 funding bills for defense and military\r\nconstruction. Both bills passed as part of a larger government funding package that is headed to the president's desk. Congress's top priority is making sure our nation's\r\nmilitary has the resources and support it needs to keep America safe, said Blunt. By providing the largest\r\npay raise in a decade, we are helping to fulfill our obligation to honor those\r\nwho serve. We're also making critical investments in equipment, training, and\r\nresearch to ensure our men and women in uniform have every advantage when\r\nthey're sent into harm's way. The measures also includes resources to support\r\nthe important role of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Missouri's military installations in the\r\ndefense of our nation. Following Are Key\r\nBlunt-Backed Missouri and National Defense Priorities Included in the Defense and Military Construction Funding Legislation:  Military Pay Raise:\r\nThe legislation provides a military pay raise of 3.1%, the largest increase for\r\nservice members in a decade.  Fort Leonard Wood:\r\nThe bill includes $50 million in additional funding for further construction of\r\na new hospital at Fort Leonard Wood, which will replace the current General\r\nLeonard Wood Army Community Hospital. The bill also provides $10 million in additional\r\nresearch funding to improve soldier lethality to directly benefit the training\r\nat Fort Leonard Wood.  National Guard:\r\nThe bill provides $12 million for the construction of a National Guard\r\nReadiness Center in Springfield, Mo.  NGA St. Louis:\r\nThe bill provides full funding of $218.8 million for further construction of\r\nthe new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West headquarters in\r\nNorth St. Louis, Mo. The bill also provides $20 million that can be used for\r\nthe construction of a secure, modern, and collaborative facility to support the\r\nrapidly evolving geospatial intelligence mission in St. Louis. In November,\r\nBlunt attended\r\nthe ground breaking ceremony and has long led efforts to ensure the NGA West\r\nfacility remains in Missouri.  Rosecrans Air\r\nNational Guard Base: The legislation provides an additional $134 million in\r\nfunding for C-130 modernization, such as propellers and engines, to meet Air\r\nNational Guard intra-theater airlift mobility requirements. The bill also\r\nincludes $9.5 million for construction of a new C-130 Flight Simulator\r\nFacility. Rosecrans Air National Guard Base is the nation's premier Air\r\nNational Guard training center for Advanced Airlift Tactical Training.  Whiteman Air Force\r\nBase: The measure provides robust resources for the B-2 program and the\r\nA-10 wing replacement program. In addition, the bill provides nearly $3 billion\r\nin research funding for the B-21, a next generation Air Force bomber that is\r\ncurrently under development. In March, the U.S. Air Force announced\r\nthat Whiteman Air Force Base will be the second base to receive the B-21\r\nbomber, which will replace the B-2 beginning in the mid-2030's. The bill also\r\nprovides $27 million for construction of a Consolidated Vehicle Operations and\r\nMaintenance Facility. Last year, Blunt sent a letter\r\nto then-Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson in support of this project.  \r\n  F-15EX: The\r\nbill includes funding for 8 F-15EX aircraft, which are manufactured in St. Louis,\r\nMo., to meet the U.S. Air Force's air superiority needs.  Super Hornets:\r\nThe legislation provides funding for 24 Super Hornets, which are manufactured\r\nin St. Louis, Mo., to meet the U.S. Navy's tactical aviation shortfall. The\r\nlegislation also includes $52 million in additional funding to fulfill one of\r\nthe U.S. Navy's top unfunded requests for Super Hornet spare engines to improve\r\nmission readiness.    Defense Community\r\nInfrastructure Pilot Program (DCIP): The measure includes $50 million in\r\nfunding for DCIP infrastructure projects that could benefit military\r\ninstallations like Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman, to improve the quality of\r\nlife for service members and their families as well as base resiliency.    Lake City Army\r\nAmmunition Plant: The measure includes full funding for Army industrial\r\nfacilities. Blunt has long championed additional funding, including over $177\r\nmillion in additional funding in the past, to provide critical support to\r\nmodernize facilities like Lake City Army Ammunition Plant near Independence,\r\nMo.    U.S. Navy MQ-25:\r\nThe bill provides robust funding for the U.S. Navy MQ-25 program. Last year,\r\nthe U.S. Navy awarded\r\nBoeing the contract for the MQ-25, an unmanned aircraft that would embark on a\r\ncarrier to conduct aerial refueling. Boeing subsequently announced that the\r\nMQ-25 will be built in St. Louis.    U.S. Air Force T-7:\r\nThe legislation includes strong funding for the U.S. Air Force T-7 program. The\r\nT-7 trainer, which was designed in St. Louis and will be built\r\nthere, is a two-seat trainer aircraft that would replace the decades-old T-38\r\ntrainer currently in use by the U.S. Air Force.  Research\r\nInvestments: The measure provides research funding for the Army, Navy, Air\r\nForce, and Department of Defense. This funding will support research and\r\ndevelopment initiatives at the University of Missouri, Missouri State\r\nUniversity, and among defense industry leaders across the state. The bill also\r\nprovides increased funding to continue groundbreaking medical research, which\r\nwill save lives, reduce disability, and decrease the economic burden of\r\ntraumatic injury.  Impact Aid: The\r\nbill includes $70 million in additional funding for Impact Aid assistance to\r\nbenefit Whiteman and Fort Leonard Wood area schools. Department of Defense\r\nSupplemental Impact Aid Assistance is critical to local school districts\r\nimpacted by the presence of federally-owned land.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-announces-missouri-priorities-included-in-defense-and-military-construction-funding-bills"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7227631285786629, "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"}