WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema today released the following statement on military construction funding votes:
“Only one of today’s two votes protects military funding in Arizona: the vote to cancel the current emergency declaration that is draining military resources. The other vote is purely symbolic. Congress must ensure our critical military assets have the resources to keep America safe by ending the emergency declaration. Otherwise, more funds could be taken at any time from Fort Huachuca, Luke Air Force Base, or other Arizona bases. That is why I voted again to end the emergency declaration and protect our military’s resources and national security.”
The administration recently announced it will redirect $30 million in previously-appropriated funding from Fort Huachuca and a total of $3.6 billion from other US military installations. The Senate held two related votes today. The first ends the emergency declaration blocking efforts to take congressionally appropriated funding for military bases including Ft. Huachuca. The second measure expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should replenish the money but does not allocate any funding or prevent current or future defense dollars from being re-allocated for non-defense purposes.