The Senate voted this week to appropriate $152 million in state funding to build two new runways at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. According to proponents of the supplemental, state funding is needed to ensure the 2028 deadline agreed to by federal and state officials is met, stating that relying solely on funding from the federal government would risk delays that could jeopardize the project.
Key Points:
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- House Bill 4572 was introduced by Representative Ron Robinson (R-Utica).
- The House passed the supplemental in March 2026.
- Governor Whitmer and President Trump announced the expansion in April 2025, in agreement with the U.S. Department of War.
- Approximately 20 F-15EXs will be stationed at the base, in addition to the already planned KC-46As, the base is set to receive.
- At the time of the announcement, the Department of War said the F-15EXs would begin arriving in FY28.
On passage of the legislation, Governor Whitmer stated, “Today’s funding is a huge, bipartisan win for Michigan that will grow our economy and make our country safer. 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.”
Selfridge Air National Guard Base:
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- The base is located in Harrison Township, which is in Macomb County.
- It contributes an estimated $850 million to Michigan’s economy, supporting 30,000 jobs statewide.
- It is home to units from every U.S. Armed Service except Space Force, as well as homeland security operations by Customs and Border Protection.
- Selfridge supports Michigan’s defense industry, which contributes $30 billion to the state’s economy and supports approximately 166,000 jobs.
- Additionally, the base directly supports other military installations in Michigan, such as Camp Grayling, the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, and the Detroit Arsenal, among others.
