[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 27, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2876-H2877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONSEQUENCES OF AIR FORCE RUNNING OUT OF OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 
                                FUNDING

  (Mr. GAETZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GAETZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to raise the concerns of Floridians 
and Georgians who still await a supplemental appropriation from the 
Congress.

[[Page H2877]]

  Every other major storm and disaster received a supplemental 
appropriation, but for some reason, victims of Hurricane Michael remain 
waiting.
  The Air Force, expecting an appropriation, began the process of 
rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base. This morning, the Air Force put out 
news that they have run out of O&M funds.
  What does this mean? It means that, as of this morning, we have 
deferred 61 required facility projects at bases in 18 States across our 
country.
  It means that, on May 1, we will stop work on Tyndall Air Force Base, 
failing to meet our obligations to rebuild.
  It means that, on May 15, the Air Force will cut aircraft repairs, 
potentially endangering our pilots' safety when flying and limiting 
their training capacity.
  Ultimately, it means that, on September 1, we will cut 18,000 
training flying hours.
  This is unacceptable in the current global environment. We must act 
now to ensure that the men and women serving in the Air Force are 
furnished with the tools to accomplish their missions.
  This is our job as the Congress, and we need to do it immediately, 
since there are very few legislative days remaining before the Easter 
break.

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