Washington ― The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday advanced a spending bill for military construction that includes $162 million intended for infrastructure upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard base in Macomb County to prepare for the arrival of two new aircraft platforms.
Republican U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar of Caledonia, who is Michigan’s only representative on the panel, said he secured the funding for Selfridge to extend taxiways and complete other construction needed ahead of the squadron of 21 F-15EX Eagle fighter jets that are scheduled to begin arriving in 2028.
The $162 million for Selfridge was requested as part of President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal this spring. Trump announced the new F-15EX mission during a visit to Selfridge a year ago.
“Selfridge is a critical asset to our national security and a major contributor to Michigan’s economy,” Moolenaar said in a statement.
“However, there is work to be done to update the base to fit the needs of the new F-15EX fighters. As the only House appropriator from our state, I will always work with my Michigan colleagues to bring critical funding like this to the state to improve our economy and keep our country safe.”
A committee report instructs the $162 million to be allocated for three projects at Selfridge: $110 million to mitigate runway encroachment; $24 million for the extension of taxiway bravo; and $28 million for the extension of taxiway alpha.
The funding is significantly less that the $638 million in military construction dollars that U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, requested last month from House appropriators across eight projects for Selfridge. James is running for governor.
The upgrades outlined by James and Selfridge include $218 million for a dual bay hangar complex for new KC-46 refueling aircraft; $190 million for a maintenance complex for the F-15EX fighters; $110 million for a runway realignment, and $52 million for taxiway extensions.
Another $34 million would go toward a training complex for the KC-46 air crews and $28 million for a KC-46 squadron operations building at the base in Harrison Township.
To prepare for the F-15EXs and KC-46s, upgrades to Selfridge’s infrastructure and facilities are anticipated to cost around $1 billion over five to seven years, Brig. Gen. Leah Voelker, the base’s commander, told The Detroit News in February. Base leaders aim to complete 35% of the design work for the main infrastructure projects for the two missions by May, she said.
By 2028, the F-15EX fighter mission is intended to replace the aging A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron at Selfridge that is set to be retired soon at the base on Lake St. Clair northeast of Detroit. Eight new KC-46 Pegasus tankers are expected at the base by around 2030, Voelker said.
Michigan officials are eager to minimize the gap between the time when the A-10s roll out of the base and the F-15EXs arrive in an effort to maintain the workforce of pilots and maintenance staff for the aircraft. The length of that gap could depend on the availability of funding for the base upgrades.
“We’re already going to be in a situation where we may lose the A-10 before the F15EX comes, so the more quickly we move, the less likely that is to occur,” James said last month.
Last year, James asked House appropriators for $90 million for Selfridge upgrades in fiscal 2026, while Michigan’s Democratic senators, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, asked for $200 million. The final funding bill incorporated just $20 million for Selfridge infrastructure.
mburke@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: House panel advances $162M for Selfridge air base upgrades
Reporting by Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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