Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that a key spending bill containing funding for numerous upgrades at New Mexico’s military installations and the Department of Veterans Affairs has been signed into law.

The legislation also included an amendment from Udall, Bingaman and Sen. Kit Bond, R-MO, to provide an additional $6 million for transitional housing services for the nation’s homeless veterans.

“Our state’s military installations have proven time and again how valuable they are to our nation’s security.  With this bill, we are ensuring they have the facilities they need to continue meeting their missions,” Bingaman said. 

“The president’s approval of these key defense initiatives in New Mexico reaffirms our state’s unique leadership role in maintaining our national security,” Udall said. “I am particularly proud that the amendment I authored to combat veteran homelessness by increasing transitional housing services is now law. This provision will get more of our veterans off the streets and help them begin rebuilding their lives.”

The legislation contains the following: 

National Guard
$39 million for an Army aviation support facility at Santa Fe

Cannon Air Force Base
$15 million for a consolidated communications facility
$41.27 million for C-130 maintenance hangar facility
$11.59 million modification to hangers to support CV-22s
$6 million for a C-130 ammunition loading ramp
$450,000 for design of an airmen dormitory  

Kirtland Air Force Base
$16.7 million for two simulator facilities to train pilots on C-130J aircraft
$5.8 million for additional operations space at the Space test and Development Wing 

Holloman Air Force Base
$5.5 million for a consolidated munitions maintenance facility for the F-22 Raptor
$37.5 million to fund alteration/additions to the operations and maintenance facilities to accommodate the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Training Wing
$10.4 million for fire/crash rescue station 

Department of Veterans Affairs
$6 million increase in the Homeless Grant and Per Diem program, which brings funding to the full authorized level of $150 million