Tag: macdill air force base

Leaders across Florida cheered the U.S. Department of the Air Force announcing it has decided to designate MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa as the Main Operation Base for 24 KC-46 Pegasus tankers. “The decision...

This week, the U.S. Senate passed the $768 million National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a 89-10 vote. Both of Florida’s U.S. senators--Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott--voted for the measure. The House passed the measure...

MacDill and Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State are the top two candidates for the new KC-46s. Later this year, the Air Force will share its top choice – the other base will be designated as the preferred alternate.

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., sent a letter to U.S. Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin congratulating him on his confirmation and outlining his expectations for the agency to advance the military interests of the nation and support military personnel.

Crist has been a member of the Appropriations Committee since 2019, delivering funding for Pinellas including $13 million for research and mitigation efforts against red tide and other harmful algal blooms, $25 million for veteran treatment courts to get veterans into treatment instead of jail, and $5 million to get veterans into cutting-edge clinical trials at National Cancer Institutes like Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa – just last year alone.

Trump has said he will veto the NDAA unless it repeals Section 230 which protects internet companies from being sued over what is posted on their websites, either by them or by orther parties. The president has also criticized the NDAA for renaming military bases honoring Confederate leaders. 

These grants provide funding to defense-dependent communities to support economic diversification efforts and military community relations.

The bill passed as 224 Democrats voted for it while 189 votes were cast against it as 7 Democrats joined 182 Republicans in opposing it while 17 members did not vote. Party lines held in the Florida delegation though three Republicans from the Sunshine State--U.S. Reps. Neal Dunn, Francis Rooney and Ted Yoho--did not vote. Rooney, who came down with coronavirus and is in his last months in Congress, has missed several votes this year.

Crist voiced his continued concern for the health and safety of military families, including those residing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, as they suffer from unsafe living conditions in poorly maintained family housing.

Noting the high levels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contamination around military bases across the Sunshine State, including MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, this week state Sen. Janet Cruz brought back a...

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., added the amendment to the House version of the NDAA. According to Crist’s office, the amendment “requires the military to work with agencies like NOAA and NASA that track our changing climate, to incorporate flooding and sea level rise projections into their plans for building new military installations and fortifying current ones.”

Spano applauded the bill for including almost $9.5 billion for mental health services, almost $222 million for suicide prevention outreach and almost $1.9 billon for the VA to help homeless veterans.