[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   National Defense Authorization Act

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, we are wrapping up the year in the Senate, 
and I am looking forward to getting home to South Dakota for Christmas. 
Before we leave, we will wrap up this year's spending bills, including 
the Defense funding bill.
  Yesterday we passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which is 
yearly legislation to authorize funding for our military and our 
national defense. I am pleased to report that this year's bill 
authorizes the full annual funding request for development of the B-21 
bomber, which will be coming to Ellsworth in the not-too-distant 
future.
  The news that Ellsworth Air Force Base had been selected as the first 
home of the future B-21 Raider was exciting news this year. Ellsworth 
Air Force Base has been a priority of mine since I first came to the 
Senate and worked with a lot of dedicated people to prevent Ellsworth 
from being closed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 
2005.
  Since then, I have worked with the other Members of the South Dakota 
delegation and the Air Force and community leaders to make sure the 
base never again finds itself in the same position. Among other things, 
our efforts resulted in the expansion of the Powder River Training 
Complex into the largest training airspace in the continental United 
States.
  It is undoubtedly partly thanks to this airspace that Ellsworth was 
chosen as the first home for the B-21. Ellsworth is going from strength 
to strength. I am honored to advocate for our national security and the 
airmen at Ellsworth in the U.S. Senate.