{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-announce-31-million-investment-for-oregon-air-national-guard-training-facilities-passes-senate", "Merkley, Wyden Announce $31 million Investment for Oregon Air National Guard Training Facilities Passes Senate", "2023-11-07", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced Senate passage of two critical community-initiated projects totaling $31 million for the Oregon Air National Guard.\n\nThe investments were included in the FY24 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies funding bill, which cleared the chamber with strong bipartisan support, putting the Oregon Air National Guard closer than ever to completing phases 3 and 4 of their project to consolidate training facilities for the 125th Special Tactics Squadron (STS).\n\n\u201cOregon\u2019s Air National Guard do critical work to help protect the security of Oregon and our nation,\u201d Merkley said. \u201cThis funding for the Special Tactics Complex will help make Oregon a West Coast hub for special tactics training and provide Oregon\u2019s Air National Guard members with up-to-date training and resources.\u201d\n\n\u201cOregon\u2019s Air National Guard and its dedicated service members play an essential role in the defense of our state and country,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cThis Oregon unit, so key to national security, fully deserves this federal investment that would modernize its training and ensure it has the resources it needs to be strong and vital in the years ahead.\u201d\n\nMerkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which wrote the bill and is one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making.\n\nSenators Merkley and Wyden teamed up to champion the significant investments for the Oregon Air National Guard, as their Special Tactics Squadron\u2019s current buildings for training are set to be returned to the Port of Portland in 2030. The funding will increase operational and energy efficiencies and reduce overall maintenance costs for Oregon National Guard. Once complete, this center is expected to become a West Coast training hub and will be a draw for the 125th Special Tactics Squadron in addition to those looking for specialized training.\n\n\u201cThe efforts from Senators Merkley and Wyden and their teams on these projects directly supports our overall mission success and readiness for your local Portland Air National Guard and its service members,\u201d said Brig. Gen. David Unruh, Commander of the Oregon Air National Guard.\n\nNow the bill has cleared the Senate, it will next head to the U.S. House of Representatives. The final legislation to emerge from the process must then be passed by both chambers before it is signed into law.\n\nSenators Merkley and Wyden urge the House to take up the legislation without delay to keep vital government systems and programs running and invest in targeted projects needed in communities across Oregon.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"]], "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.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-announce-31-million-investment-for-oregon-air-national-guard-training-facilities-passes-senate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6075437888503075, "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"}