The Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations bill was approved by the House Thursday, providing important support for our troops and the nation’s defense, Congresswoman Kay Granger said. As the vice chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Granger played a lead role in putting together the annual defense spending bill. The bill includes funds for key defense programs that are produced in Fort Worth.

“The United States and our allies continue to face threats from countries such as Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea.  Radical Islamic terrorists, such as ISIS, continue to threaten everything we stand for,” Granger told her colleagues in a speech on the House floor. “As chair of State and Foreign Operations appropriations and vice chair of Defense Appropriations, I am very proud of what this bill does to ensure resources are available to counter all of these threats.”

Granger praised the bill’s inclusion of funding for 74 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, which are manufactured at the Lockheed-Martin Corp. plant in Fort Worth.

“The Joint Strike Fighter is the top fighter in the world, providing air superiority for our pilots and those of our international partners,” Granger said. “I am proud that this incredible plane is manufactured in Fort Worth.”

The Joint Strike Fighter is estimated to provide 129,000 jobs statewide in Texas.

The bill also funds 21 new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft for the Marine Corps and the Air Force Special Operations Command. The V-22 is produced by Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopter.

“The House vote shows the national support for the Joint Strike Fighter, the V-22 Osprey and other programs vital to our national security, and our allies, that are produced in North Texas,” said Granger. “These defense programs employ thousands of North Texans, and they are a critical part of the defense industry hub that thrives here.”

Also included in the bill are funds for four new C-40 military transport planes. The Marine Corps Reserve is planning to base some of these new planes at Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, replacing some of their aging aircraft there, Granger said.

Link to Congresswoman Granger's floor speech supporting Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations bill.

Link to Appropriations Committee release with full details of Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations bill.