U.S. Rep. McSally Statement on Passage of FY2016 Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha McSally today voted in support of the Omnibus Appropriations Act for FY2016, legislation to fund the government through the end of fiscal year 2016. The bill passed the House today with wide bipartisan support 316 to 113.

“While far from perfect, today’s bipartisan legislation benefits Southern Arizona in many ways. I’ve been a leading voice to stop the dangerous cuts to our depleted military. This agreement does just that. After I fought hard to protect the A-10 and EC-130H, this bill provides full funding for both aircraft as well as my amendment to prevent the retirement of any EC-130H next year. It includes an additional $241 million for three critical missiles produced at Raytheon in Tucson, keeping their lines running and protecting good-paying Southern Arizona jobs. The bill also contains funding for construction at DM and Fort Huachuca, including $18.2 million for personnel recovery training missions conducted in Southern Arizona and $3.9 million to renovate the Joint Interoperability Test Command buildings.”

“In addition, today’s legislation prioritizes protecting our homeland. The bill contains provisions to strengthen the Visa Waiver Program, a recommendation made by my colleagues and me on the bipartisan foreign fighter task force. It increases funding for Customs and Border Protection operations and focuses funds for the FBI to conduct counterterrorism and counterintelligence activities. While these are important steps, we still have work to do to address all our security vulnerabilities, and I’ll continue to work to pass more solutions to make Americans safer.”