Washington, DC – Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s announcement to defund a new C-130J flight simulator for the 146th Airlift Wing at the Air National Guard Station at Channel Islands:
“President Trump has failed to deliver on a campaign promise that Mexico would pay for a new border wall, and in desperation to appease his base, he is stealing money that Congress intended to support our nation’s servicemembers. Worse, he is specifically targeting the California Air National Guard flight simulator, which is intended to train C-130J pilots who put their lives on the line fighting wildfires in our state, among other missions.
“The fact that President Trump is willing to undermine military readiness and California’s firefighting capabilities is unconscionable. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that the 146th Airlift Wing gets the funding that it needs to complete this critical training simulator.”
Background
With over 1,200 highly-trained and talented National Guard personnel, the 146th Airlift Wing is the largest and most capable airlift wings in the nation. The 146th is often called upon to provide disaster response, humanitarian relief, and large-scale aerial firefighting capabilities to the State of California and the nation. The 146th Airlift Wing utilizes Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) units on the C-130J, and this is one of only four MAFFS systems nationwide.
The project to build the C-130J flight simulator was intended to help the 146th Airlift Wing pilots and crew train, reduce training costs, and ensure these pilots and crew could continue to provide critical firefighting capabilities, as well as continue disaster response and humanitarian relief efforts.
Issues: 116th Congress, Defense, National Security