Sen. Cruz: ‘Lackland Equips Our Airmen to Defend Our Freedoms, Protect Our Interests, and Project American Strength Abroad’

Texas Defends America Tour

Visits Military City, USA, tours Lackland Air Force Base

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today kicked off the ‘Texas Defends America’ tour, a week-long tour of Texas military bases, with a visit to Military City, USA. There, he toured Lackland Air Force Base and received a briefing on training operations before visiting with the Airmen. Following the tour, Sen. Cruz held a media availability.

“The Airmen stationed here in Military City, USA provide significant contributions to our nation’s security and defense,” Sen. Cruz said. “Rightly known as the ‘Gateway to the Air Force,’ Lackland equips our Airmen to defend our freedoms and project American strength abroad. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, it’s my honor to ensure our brave men and women in uniform are prepared to answer the call to protect and defend our country, and I am proud Congress has supported those at Lackland by providing the necessary funding to build a new Basic Military Training dormitory. I am grateful for the dedication, service, and commitment of these great Americans, and will continue working to ensure Lackland AFB is second to none.”

In the FY19 NDAA, Sen. Cruz secured a provision allocating $158 million for military construction projects for Texas, which will fund priorities across the state including a much-needed new Basic Military Training (BMT) dormitory at Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland. Additionally, Sen. Cruz worked with Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and the City of San Antonio to secure a provision that would require the Air Force to conduct core sampling to identify hazardous substances in the soil before moving forward with a new pipeline on Joint Base San Antonio.