Arizona Congress members from both parties: Hands off Luke AFB funding

PHOENIX – Arizona’s Congressional Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much, but there’s one message both sides are sending:

Don’t mess with Luke Air Force Base.

Speculation that President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration to build a border wall could divert tens of millions of dollars away from the West Valley base has in a way united both sides of Arizona’s aisle.

Last week, four House Democrats from Arizona sent a letter to acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan arguing that $40 million in the 2019 budget allocated to an F-35 fighter jet program and an aircraft maintenance facility belongs at Luke, not the border.

“Our dedicated military service members at Luke AFB should not be forced to pay the price of this emergency declaration by having much needed military construction funds the administration requested and Congress approved diverted to activities completely unrelated to Luke AFB and its missions,” the letter says.

It was signed by Reps. Ruben Gallego, Tom O’Halleran, Ann Kirkpatrick and Greg Stanton.

“The F-35 is the future of that base, and anything that puts that at risk is something that I don’t support,” Stanton told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

Also on Monday, Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko introduced a bipartisan resolution that would recognize the F-35 program as “imperative to national security” and something “Congress should continue to support.”

Texas Democrat Marc Veasey co-sponsored the resolution.

Two weeks earlier, Lesko sent a letter to Trump that, while expressing support for his emergency declaration, called for Luke’s funding to be protected.

“I encourage you to reserve the funding necessary for pending military construction projects at Luke Air Force Base to ensure the program’s continued success,” said the letter from Lesko, who serves the district where the base is located.

Last month, Republican Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac & Gaydos she would work to make sure Luke wasn’t negatively affected by Trump’s national emergency.

“I know firsthand the national treasure that it is, and I am going to fight to make sure that the resources they need for those projects for the F-35 are funded,” she said.

Then on Monday, McSally joined the letter writers, sending one of her own to Shanahan.

“In response to this border crisis, we need physical barriers where appropriate and other border security investments. However, we cannot do that at the expense of critical MILCON [military construction] projects in Arizona,” McSally’s letter said.

McSally’s Democratic counterpart, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, told Mac & Gaydos last month that it was the job of Congress, not the president, to determine how to appropriate dollars.

“Luke Air Force Base could be impacted, and I’m concerned about that,” she said.

“We’ve got to make sure that our men and women in uniform are always ready to defend our country.”

When all’s said and done, the bipartisan defense of Luke might not be necessary.

For one thing, Trump hasn’t said specifically where he would try to get the national security funding.

“I don’t believe it’s going to affect Arizona. It hasn’t been determined, it’s like Chicken Little saying, ‘The sky is falling.’ It’s a scare tactic,” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs told KTAR News’ Arizona’s Morning News last month.

Trump also faces legislative and judicial hurdles before the national emergency could go into effect.

The Democratic-controlled House already passed a bill blocking it, and there appear to be enough GOP defections from the Republican-controlled Senate to send it to Trump’s desk.

If that happens and, as expected, Trump vetoes it, the matter would wind up in court, with 16 states already having filed suit to stop the national emergency.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report.

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