Press Releases
Arrington Calls for Passage of His Amendment to Fund New Dyess Gates
Washington,
June 25, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House will vote on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, legislation that delivers for our service members and veterans while strengthening military readiness. House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) just spoke on the House floor to urge his colleagues to vote to include his amendment, which would provide the necessary funding for Dyess Air Force Base to improve their security measures at the Tye and Arnold gates. With the imminent arrival of the nuclear-capable B-21 bomber, these projects are critical to enhancing base security and protecting against breaches.
Remarks as Delivered: I have an amendment Mr. Speaker, and it's one I think all of my colleagues will want to support. In the last week, the world witnessed the might of America's unparalleled air superiority, and what a critical role our strategic bombers and men and women who pilot and maintain them do to keep our enemies like Iran in check. For nearly 40 years, the B-1 has been the tip of the spear of America's air superiority. The B-1 has served us well, but at a time when our adversaries like China are making historic investments in their own military, it's time we roll out America's next generation war fighter. That's why I rise in strong support of this amendment that would direct a little over 4 million to enhance gate security at military installation set to receive the B-21 Raider, including Dyess Air Force Base there in the “Key City” of Abilene, Texas. The B-21 Raider represents the most capable and lethal bomber this world, this planet has ever known and seen, and it is the future of our long-range strike capability, designed to evade modern air defenses and deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads across the globe. Dyess, the base there in Abilene, Texas, will soon become a key platform for deploying this cutting-edge aircraft and we have a responsibility to ensure that this investment in national defense is protected accordingly. Let's be clear, this is not a theoretical threat. In 2023 alone, US officials reported over a hundred incidents of Chinese nationals attempting to unlawfully access Department of Defense facilities. In May of last year, two foreign nationals here illegally under President Biden's open border crisis, attempted to breach the Marine Corps base there in Quantico in a box truck. So, these aren't isolated incidents, Mr. Speaker, they're part of a disturbing trend that had put our installations, our defense technology, and most importantly, our service members at risk. This amendment is straight forward, it funds the necessary upgrades to the gate infrastructure at bases like Dyess to comply with the Department of Defense Force Protection Standards, reinforcing access control, preventing unauthorized entry. It's common sense, like I said, straight forward, and it will help both our service members, our air arsenal, and our overall national security posture. Background:
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