{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-shaheen-introduce-status-act-to-establish-permanent-air-guard-tuition-assistance-program", "Hoeven, Shaheen Introduce STATUS Act to Establish Permanent Air Guard Tuition Assistance Program", "2023-12-14", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "ND", "John Hoeven", "H001061", "www.hoeven.senate.gov", "hoeven", "https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "Hoeven, Shaheen Introduce STATUS Act to Establish Permanent Air Guard Tuition Assistance Program\n\nSenators Worked to Establish, Fund Air Guard FTA Pilot Program\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) this week introduced legislation to establish a permanent federal tuition assistance (FTA) program benefitting Air National Guard members. The Air Guard Standardizing Tuition Assistance to Unify the Services (STATUS) Act requires the Secretary of the Air Force to provide tuition assistance to members of the Air National Guard, consistent with the program available to the Army National Guard. The legislation is supported by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS).\n\n\u201cOur Air National Guard provides invaluable service to communities across the nation, and also performs critical missions alongside their active-duty counterparts,\u201d said Hoeven. \u201cOur legislation would provide drill status Air Guard members with the same educational benefits as those serving in the Army National Guard. With the recruiting challenges facing our military, it\u2019s vital that we have a strong tuition assistance program in place to help our Air Guard attract and retain the best and brightest.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll those serving in the Air National Guard deserve access to the educational benefits they deserve so we can continue attracting and retaining elite talent,\u201d said Shaheen. \u201cI\u2019m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that would help make tuition more affordable and ensure that the Air National Guard has access to the same educational benefits as the Army National Guard.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen an individual joins the National Guard, they invest in our national security. In return, as a small token of our gratitude, we invest in their future through federal tuition assistance,\u201d said retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, NGAUS president. \u201cWe must equally provide for our Soldiers and our Airmen. This bill corrects a long-standing gap in National Guard benefits and will empower our Airmen to reach new heights in knowledge and skill. We thank Senators Hoeven and Shaheen for their efforts and continued support of the National Guard.\u201d\n\nThe legislation follows efforts by Hoeven and Shaheen to:\n\nEstablish and fund a FTA pilot program, and ensure that North Dakota and New Hampshire Air Guardsmen had access to this important benefit.\n\nSecure a total of $18.8 million across fiscal years (FY) 2020-FY2023 to support the program.\n\nThis fall, in a letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, the senators highlighted the success of the Air Guard FTA pilot program and its role in supporting the recruitment of individuals with the skills needed for today\u2019s high-tech missions, like the Air Guard\u2019s MQ-9 mission in Fargo. The senators made the case to Kendall to include $4 million in the Air Force\u2019s FY2025 budget request to make the program permanent.\n\n-###-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"]], "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.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-shaheen-introduce-status-act-to-establish-permanent-air-guard-tuition-assistance-program"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6505749188363552, "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"}