Michigan Senate approves $152M supplemental funding for Selfridge air base fixes

Supplemental funding to repair the runways at Selfridge Air National Guard base in Macomb County is moving forward.

Lawmakers on Wednesday reached an agreement to fast-track $152 million for Selfridge, meeting the aggressive timeline proposed by Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) so the fixes can be complete before President Donald Trump leaves office following the 2028 elections. Hall, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Trump were able to forge a deal for a new fighter mission at the air base, but the runways were in need of repairs and became a big sticking point in how quickly the new fighter mission could be activated at the base.

Hall’s GOP-controlled House passed the supplemental funding out of its chamber in April. It remained in the Democratic-led Senate’s chamber until Wednesday, when the funding bill, House Bill 4572, was discharged from the Senate Appropriations Committee and moved to the floor.

Michigan House approves money for Selfridge runway overhaul, work project funding left in limbo

The Senate cast a unanimous 34-0 vote to move the legislation to Whitmer’s desk.

If signed, the U.S. Air Force said it would commit $792 million in federal money to assist with the project and prepare the base for F-15EX fighter jets and KC-46 tanker aircraft, according to The Detroit News.

Whitmer plans to sign the bill before June 1.

“Today’s funding is a huge, bipartisan win for Michigan that will grow our economy and make our country safer,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Since securing a new F15-EX fighter mission last year, I’ve been working closely with our federal partners and Congressional delegation to prepare Selfridge with upgrades to runways and taxiways. But we needed state funding to ensure the base will be ready for new aircraft to start arriving by 2028.”

Today, the Legislature “landed the plane,” Whitmer added.

“Delivering this funding by June 1 was critical to securing the fighter mission and protecting Selfridge for the future,” Whitmer said. “This supplemental is more proof that when we work across the aisle and focus on the issues that matter to Michigan families, we can make a difference.”

The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Ron Robinson (R-Utica), who praised the Senate for taking up the funding on Wednesday.

“This is a huge victory for Macomb County,” Robinson said in a statement. “Selfridge is one of the most important military and economic assets in our state, and I was proud to help lead the fight to secure its future.”

Robinson also said that he worked across the political aisle to build support and keep negotiations moving even though the funding stalled for a few months in the Senate.

“This was a long process, but we never stopped pushing to get this done,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, everyone understood how important Selfridge is to Macomb County, our military families, and our national security. … Now we can finally move forward with confidence knowing Selfridge will remain a driving force for our local economy and a critical part of our national defense well into the future.”

Both U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) praised the funding.

“Our persistent work to secure the new KC-46 tankers and F-15EX fighter jets for Selfridge was a huge success for the base and our entire state,” Peters said in a statement. “Now, we must make every investment necessary to ensure the base is ready on day one for the arrival of these next-generation aircraft.”   

Slotkin said Michigan’s federal, state, and local leaders have been dedicated to growing Selfridge for over a decade, and today’s state investment “will get the ball rolling on the Air Force investing hundreds of millions of federal dollars in the base over the next 5 years.”

”This proves that years of federal, state, and local bipartisan work does pay off,” Slotkin said in a statement. “With new threats on the rise, the fighter mission here plays a vital role in defending the entire country and securing F-15EXs and KC-46A tankers is a massive investment in Michigan. This will not only pay for critical upgrades to the base but attract more defense companies to come do business at one of the country’s premier Air Force bases.”

Slotikin added that “a lot of good bipartisan work got us here, and this progress will have a generational impact for Michigan, our national defense, and Macomb County’s economy.”