Senate passes bill that would fund Cannon child care center

Freedom New Mexico

A supplemental spending package that would help to purchase 30 special operations aircraft and fund a construction project at Cannon Air Force Base cleared another hurdle, according to a news release from Sen. Pete Domenici’s office.

The Senate passed a bill Thursday that includes the Air Force’s request for $8 million to construct a child care center at Cannon, which was included as part of a defense-wide initiative to improve family support for service members. The Air Force Special Operations Command mission at Cannon would benefit from aircraft procurement funding in the bill.

The bill provides $349 million to procure five CV-22 Osprey aircraft, as well as $1.8 billion for 18 C-130J and seven MC-130J aircraft.

Both aircraft will be part of the AFSOC mission at Cannon.

Domenici, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said the FY 2008 bill will be returned to the House for approval before it can be sent to President Bush, who threatened to veto the bill.