Senate and House conferees agreed late last week to hold the Fiscal 2006 supplemental appropriations for the war on terror and hurricane recovery to $94.5 billion—more than the House proposed, but much less than the Senate version. The President had requested $98.7 billion and vowed to veto the measure if lawmakers went above the Administration request. The conferees agreed to fund DOD at the Administration’s request of $65.8 billion. (Find the Senate summary here and the House here.)
The roles and missions executed by Air Force warriors are essential to the nation’s security. Yet after three decades of constant demand and minimal replenishment, our Air Force is too small and too old. It needs to be rebuilt. The Trump administration and Congress must fund that modernization to ensure…