Nevada air bases to get $63.3 million
Stephens Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Congress finalized a 2011 defense policy bill Wednesday that includes $63.3 million in improvements for Air Force bases in Nevada, according to the office of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
As Nellis Air Force Base prepares to host F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters in 2014, the bill approved $51.65 million for construction of a maintenance hangar and various flight test facilities. Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs was approved to spend $11.7 million for a rescue station.
Overall, the legislation approved spending $725 billion on Pentagon programs and weapons. It had been blocked by Republicans but the Senate's repeal over the weekend of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays serving openly in the military removed a major obstacle.
