The Rescue Flight helicopters at Fairchild train thousands of aircrews each year and provide critical search and rescue capabilities for Northwest communities as well as the nation. Last Monday, Senator Murray and I introduced an amendment containing $4 million dollars to protect and restore funding for the 36^th Rescue Flight helicopters at Fairchild Air Force base in Spokane. The $4 million would be used to continue operation of the helicopters at the Air Force base as well as maintain the helicopters. These provisions will ensure the helicopters remain at Fairchild and give men and women of the Air Force mission-critical training, such as live rescue hoists, parachute drops, and combat rescues. After reviewing the president’s 2008 budget and seeing the program at Fairchild being zeroed out, I vowed to protect and preserve the unit. I will continue fighting until we are assured that the 36^th Rescue Flight is no long in danger of being eliminated

 

A bipartisan amendment, introduced to the National Defense Authorization Act by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), that would have ensured time for adequate rest and training in between deployments was blocked by Republicans last week.  Extended tours have strained our forces and their families, and have endangered America’s ability to respond to both threats abroad and disasters at home. Our troops deserve better. The amendment would have allowed rest and training between multiple deployments. I cosponsored and voted for this amendment which would allow for better troop conditions, stronger military readiness and better predictability of troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. This amendment says that active-duty troops should receive as much rest time as the amount spent deployed. The amendment also includes a provision to enable the President to waive these limitations provided he certifies to Congress that deployment is necessary in response to an operational emergency posing a threat to national security interests of the United States. Congress has taken similar actions during other wars to protect the welfare of service members.    

Weather satellites help protect us all--from hurricanes that threaten the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico regions, tornados that tear through towns and cities in the Midwest, and dangerous storms that impact America’s coastal regions, including my own home. The support these satellites provide for our research into climate change is unparalleled. Cutbacks to the satellite program could obstruct the ability to monitor weather changes and study global climate change. We need to look at why these cuts are being made and if there is a better way to manage the program. Because of multi-billion dollar cost overruns, NOAA, the Department of Defense and NASA have had to cut a large number of sensors and instruments, as well as the overall number of satellites. In addition to these cuts, the QuikSCAT satellite – which helps predict and track hurricanes – will end its service life soon, and there are currently no plans to replace it. I discussed my concerns during a Commerce Committee hearing on the nation’s aging weather satellite system. The notion that it makes sense to cut sensors that monitor severe weather and climate change – exactly when we need them the most – is absurd.