Budget proposal continues Sen. Hertel’s commitment to Selfridge base with $11.5M investment
LANSING, Mich. (April 25, 2023) — Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military, Veterans, State Police passed their budget proposal this morning, marking the first formal step in the budget process. The proposed budget, which will continue to be negotiated with the full Senate Appropriations Committee, full Senate, House and governor’s office, includes a number of positive funding proposals to promote public safety and support Michigan veterans and military servicemembers.
Sen. Hertel continues to make support for the Selfridge Air National Guard Base (ANGB) a top priority in his policy and budget work, and the subcommittee budget passed today includes $11.5M in proposed funding for the base. This funding matches Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget recommendation for the Selfridge Air National Guard Base to “improve and maintain infrastructure at the base to continue to position Michigan to compete for next generation aircraft and future fighter missions.”
“In my first budget as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military, Veterans, State Police, I was honored to be able to include $11.5 million dollars of state funding for Selfridge Air National Guard Base,” said Sen. Hertel. “As conversations on the final budget continue, I will keep working to ensure the Legislature’s spending matches the governor’s—and my—commitment to Selfridge ANGB and sets Michigan up to be the future of our nation’s defense.”
Earlier this session, the Michigan Senate voted to pass Senate Resolution 9, introduced by Sen. Hertel, that urged the United States Air Force to award an advanced generation fighter mission to Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Awarding the base a new mission had bipartisan support in the Michigan Legislature, and it has nearly universal support from Michigan’s congressional delegation and members from both sides of the aisle.
Selfridge Air National Guard Base has been in operation for over 100 years, serving as a strategic defense location and site of countless training missions over both land and water. Selfridge is a source of community pride and jobs, employing more than 600 workers on the base and providing a local economic benefit worth more than $700 million to residents and businesses in several surrounding cities and townships. In addition to being a strategic location for training, Michigan also manufactures many of the parts used in F-35 jets.
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