U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) on Monday applauded passage by Congress of a more than $900 billion pandemic relief and year-end omnibus package that includes funding for the U.S. Department of Defense, a major employer in the congresswoman’s north Texas congressional district.
Rep. Granger, ranking member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, said she fought for and helped secure federal funding that is vital to national security, as well as the local defense industry and economy in north Texas.
“The metroplex has a long and proud history of being part of providing for our nation’s security,” said Rep. Granger, referring to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, a metropolitan statistical area in Texas encompassing 11 counties and serving as the economic and cultural hub of north Texas.
The metroplex is home to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, countless defense contractors, and thousands of active duty service members and veterans, Rep. Granger said.
“We are known for having the very best manufacturing jobs and an extremely highly skilled workforce,” she added. “The work these men and women perform every day is one of the reasons the United States has the best military in the world.”
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on Monday approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, H.R. 133, which includes several defense-related provisions that Rep. Granger helped secure, including an additional 17 aircraft, representing at least an additional $950 million in economic impact to the metroplex region, and extra firepower for the U.S. Air Force.
H.R. 133 also includes almost $718 million for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift program, including $90.5 million above the request for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). Bell Textron Inc., based in Fort Worth, has been awarded follow-on contracts to help the Army build the FLRAA and the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). Bell employs more than 5,100 people in north Texas.
The legislation also prevents the decommissioning of two Littoral Combat Ships before the end of their useful life, including the USS Fort Worth.
“Just as I have done since my first day in Congress, I will continue to fight to protect every single one of those jobs, and to bring new jobs to north Texas,” Rep. Granger said.