FORT DRUM, N.Y. (WWNY) - Fort Drum and the north country got good news in the new federal spending agreement.
Congress is wrapping up the spending agreement this week, and President Trump is expected to sign it.
The spending deal includes $21 million for a new “railhead” for Fort Drum. (What’s a railhead? It’s the place where equipment and supplies get loaded and unloaded from trains. Army bases need good railheads in order for troops to be able to deploy quickly - but Fort Drum’s current railhead isn’t up to the job.)
Also, there is $23 million in the budget for a new hanger for drone aircraft. The $23 million buys the hangar, plus some other improvements like an extension to the runway at Drum.
In general, the spending plan is good to the military. It includes a 3.1 percent raise, the largest in a decade; $34 billion for research into traumatic brain injury, suicide and cancer in the armed services; the budget “addresses child care and other critical issues to the military and their families,” according to a statement from north country congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
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