Ossoff secures historic $556M military construction investment for Georgia

Ossoff discusses military spending in Georgia

Sen. Jon Ossoff said he has been able to secure the most funding for the military station in the state since 2010. The senator from Georgia serves on the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee.

ATLANTA - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff announced on Friday that he has secured the largest military construction and quality-of-life investment for Georgia since 2010, delivering a major funding package through the Senate Appropriations Committee.

What we know:

As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Ossoff led efforts to include $556 million for nearly a dozen projects across Georgia in the newly passed bipartisan appropriations bill.

The Senate bill also includes $30 million — $10 million each for the Army, Navy, and Air Force — to strengthen oversight and maintenance of privatized military housing, including investigations into housing conditions.

Among the largest single allocations is $127.4 million for a new Dexter Elementary School at Fort Benning. Ossoff called the investment a top priority.

By the numbers:

Other major projects in the bill include:

• $166 million for an evidence storage building at Fort Gillem
• $119 million for a Trident Refit Facility expansion at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
• $45 million for Army barracks at Fort Stewart
• $28 million for a new control tower at Robins Air Force Base
• Ossoff said the new tower at Robins is essential to support incoming missions and modern air traffic control infrastructure.
• "Robins needs world-class infrastructure. It’s time for Robins to have a new state-of-the-art control tower," he said.
• Also included in the bill:
• $17.5 million for a security forces operations facility and $3.7 million for F-35A simulator design at Moody Air Force Base
• $27 million for a dining and training facility and $11.4 million for a corrosion control facility at Savannah/Hilton Head IAP
• $3 million for main gate design at Dobbins Air Reserve Base

What they're saying:

"In my position as the ranking member leading the military construction subcommittee, the draft bill that we have now passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee — a major milestone — would deliver more military construction funding to the state of Georgia than any time in the last 15 years," Ossoff said during a press briefing.

"The school that kids are in now is just not up to the standard," Ossoff said. "We are now making potentially historic progress toward getting it done."

In response to a question about Fort Gordon, Ossoff noted that while this bill focuses on construction, $10 million was included for broader oversight of privatized military housing.

He said ongoing issues with housing at Fort Gordon, especially under the management of Balfour Beatty, would be addressed through separate legislation — the National Defense Authorization Act — which is still under negotiation.

"My goal is to include in the defense authorization those provisions to support military families and strengthen oversight of those housing contractors," Ossoff said.

He also emphasized the bipartisan support for the Senate bill, calling it "almost unanimous" despite a polarized political climate. The legislation now heads to the full Senate for a vote and must also pass the U.S. House of Representatives.

"This is a major milestone," Ossoff said. "We still have a ways to go, but I am doing everything in my power to bring Republicans and Democrats together to get this across the finish line."