Senator Warnock secured an additional $21.17 million in funding for Fort Gordon, Moody Air Force Base, and Fort Stewart beyond funding requested in President’s budget request
Senator Warnock also secured important language that will improve the lives of veterans across the nation, including Georgia’s one million veterans
ICYMI: Senator Warnock visited Fort Gordon in March 2021, met with base leadership and toured the first stages of the new, state-of-the-art Cyber and Signal Schoolhouse
ICYMI: Senator Warnock visited Fort Benning in May 2021 and Robins AFB in June 2021 to discuss base priorities with leadership and meet with servicemembers and families and recently visited Dobbins ARB, Lockheed Martin, and Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) announced critical funding he helped secure in the annual military construction and veterans funding bill for a number of Georgia’s military installations, as well as policy language he successfully included in the legislation to provide additional support for Georgia’s growing veteran population. In total, the FY22 military construction and veterans affairs committee funding bill includes over $165 million in investments for Georgia’s bases, including an additional $21 million beyond the President Biden’s budget request. Senator Warnock will fight to ensure all provisions remain in through final passage.
“This funding is vital to supporting Georgia’s hardworking servicemembers, and keeping our state’s sprawling military installations and communities strong,” said Senator Warnock.“I am proud to represent Georgia’s more than 140,000 servicemembers and one million veterans, and I will continue fighting hard for what they need every day.”
Georgia has the fifth largest military population in the United States with an estimated economic impact of over $28 billion annually. The Department of Defense is Georgia’s largest single employer—providing over 140,000 jobs directly and indirectly employing over 300,000 Georgians. One in 10 Georgians is serving or has served the nation in uniform.
“This legislation provides key resources to ensure Georgia’s defense communities can continue to play a critical role in defending our nation’s security, training our future military leaders, and maintaining constant operational readiness across the armed services,” added Senator Warnock.
The strong federal funding secured in this bill reflects Senator Warnock’s strong commitment to national security and the country’s military personnel. To that end, Senator Warnock has strong track record of advocating for Georgia’s servicemembers and veterans in the Senate, including: pushing the United States Air Force (USAF) to modernize the air fleet at Savannah Air Guard Base and Georgia Air Guard, and successfully confirming USAF’s efforts to bring new operational missions to Robins Air Force Base (AFB); conducting oversight of the Atlanta U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, which services more than 126,000 Georgia veterans at more than 20 care facilities across north Georgia; and successfully pushing the Senate to direct additional funding to the Georgia National Guard and National Guard to cover holes in their budget incurred during their response to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
See below for more information on funding secured by Senator Warnock for Georgia’s military installations and veterans in the funding bill:
Senator Warnock’s Congressionally Directed Spending Requests
Moody Air Force Base (AFB)
- $12.5 million for the 41st Rescue Squadron HH-60W Parking Apron: This funding will be used to construct a critical aircraft parking area to support the 41st Rescue Squadron, 23d Wing, Moody AFB in Valdosta, improving operational capacity as well as airman safety. Importantly, Moody AFB has already started fielding the new HH-60W combat rescue helicopters, replacing the outdated model. Senator Warnock’s office has communicated to the Air Force his commitment to ensure the fielding for these helicopters remains on schedule.
Fort Gordon
- $3.67 million for Cyber Center of Excellence School Headquarters and Classrooms: This funding will be used to further planning and design to modernize the Fort Gordon’s Signal schoolhouse and construct a Cyber and Communications Network Training Facility. This funding is critical to constructing a schoolhouse ready to train and educate soldiers in a secret level space for cyberspace operations, electronic warfare, cyber electromagnetic activity, and cyber-related signals intelligence. Senator Warnock visited Fort Gordon to discuss this important modernization effort in March 2021.
Fort Stewart
- $5 million for Enlisted Personnel Housing and Barracks: This funding will be used to complete planning and design for an Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing Facility to accommodate 372 soldiers at Fort Stewart in Hinesville, helping ensure that all Dog Face soldiers have suitable living conditions.
Additional Funding for Georgia’s Military Secured and Supported by Senator Warnock
Fort Gordon
- $69 million for the Cyber Instructional Facility: This funding will go toward modernization and revitalization efforts at Fort Gordon to construct the Cyber Instructional Facility, demonstrating Fort Gordon’s leading role in combating the emerging threats facing our nation.
Fort Benning
$13.2 million for Post-Initial Military Unaccompanied Housing: This funding will be used to construct Advance Skills Training Barracks at Fort Benning for the Georgia National Guard. This funding is critical to the Georgia National Guard and the entire Army National Guard due to current lack of adequate barrack space at the Warrior Training Center, the only Army National Guard School in the nation that conducts specialized high-risk training.
- $62 million for a Special Operations Forces battalion headquarter for 75th Ranger Regiment: This funding will be used to construct additional administrative space, improving operational readiness and intelligence coordination capacity.
Additional Support for Georgia’s Veterans Secured by Senator Warnock
- Pro-Bono Legal Services for Veterans: Inspired in part by the remarkable program run by the University of Georgia, at Senator Warnock’s request the Committee included language in the bill urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prioritize funding for the support of programs that permit public and land-grant university law schools to expand their veterans legal clinic offerings, in which social work services are also provided, to serve veterans facing unique legal challenges.
- VA Pressure Injury Standards: Senator Warnock also secured language that directs the VA staff to have timely access to relevant guidelines, research and practice standards on topics related to pressure injury risk, prevention and management. Ensuring standardization of this care is important to ensuring veterans receive the best medical care possible.
- Airborne Hazards and Burn Pits Center of Excellence: Senator Warnock helped maintain strong funding for research focused on post-deployment health for veterans exposed to airborne hazards and open burn pits. Many of Georgia’s veterans deployed to combat zones during the last two decades of war were exposed to burn pits, and research to understand the effects of this exposure will allow the government to better take care of those who will experience the long-term health effects of their service.
- Veteran Homelessness Programs: Senator Warnock helped secure robust funding for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program, the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program, and case management and supportive services as administered by VA under the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. These programs are central to the effort to end veteran homelessness.
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