{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2024/9/key-field-is-officially-in-the-running-for-kc-46-selection", "Key Field is Officially in the Running for KC-46 Selection", "2024-09-26", "2024", "2024-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, the U.S Air Force notified Mississippi\u2019s Congressional Delegation that Key Field in Meridian is officially in the running to be the future home of the new KC-46 aircraft. The nation-wide candidate field has been narrowed to seven, in what is called a \u201cdown-selection.\u201d\n\nMississippi\u2019s Congressional Delegation has worked for years to make sure Key Field, an Air National Guard Base, is seen as a strong candidate for the selection.\n\n\u201cMaking it this far in the down-selection process is an accomplishment. If Key Field is ultimately chosen, it would cement and extend the base\u2019s role in our country\u2019s national security infrastructure for decades to come,\u201d U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said. \u201cFor the Meridian community, this would be a significant investment. It would bring more service members and families, as well as direct and indirect jobs, to the area. This is one of my top priorities.\u201d\n\n\"We welcome this positive development for the future of Key Field and Lauderdale County. As the process moves forward, we will continue to forcefully make the case that Key Field will be the best place for this important mission,\" Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., said.\n\n\u201cThe 186th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) in Meridian is a leader in aerial refueling, and I am pleased that Key Field Air National Guard Base is one of seven sites that is advancing in the KC-46A basing decision process,\u201d said Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03). \u201cI am grateful for the unity of our entire Mississippi Congressional Delegation\u2014Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representatives Bennie Thompson, Trent Kelly, and Mike Ezell\u2014as well as the support of our State and local leadership for this effort. I appreciate the Air Force\u2019s consideration of Key Field and look forward to the opportunity to showcase the 186th ARW\u2019s capabilities as we move into the next phase of this decision.\u201d\n\nKey factors that have made Key Field a potential home for the KC-46s, a military refueling and strategic transport plane:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "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.wicker.senate.gov/2024/9/key-field-is-officially-in-the-running-for-kc-46-selection"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1790231112390757, "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"}