Senator’s $500M Bipartisan Defense Funding Boosts Bases, Families Across the State

By Milton Kirby | Washington, DC | August 1, 2025

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock has secured more than $500 million in bipartisan funding for military construction projects across Georgia—marking the state’s largest investment of its kind since 2010. The funding, supported in part by Senator Jon Ossoff, comes from a military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill and is now headed for reconciliation with the House version before becoming law.

“This is about readiness, dignity, and the people who serve this country,” Senator Warnock said. “We cannot let Washington politics get in the way of delivering this bipartisan funding to Georgia’s military communities, and I will keep fighting until we get this across the finish line.”

Georgia Projects Get Major Boost

The funding includes $127 million for the construction of a new Dexter Elementary School at Fort Benning in Columbus, one of the single largest education-related military projects in recent state history.

Other key investments include:

• Fort Gillem: $166 million for an evidence storage facility
• Fort Stewart: $8 million for an aircraft maintenance hangar (design phase) and $45 million for barracks renovations
• Moody AFB: $17.5 million for a new security forces squadron facility and $3.7 million for an F-35 simulator (design phase)
• Robins AFB: $28 million for a new aircraft control tower
• Savannah CRTC: $27 million for a new dining hall and $11.4 million for a C-130 corrosion control facility
• Dobbins ARB: $3 million for an entry control facility (design phase)
• Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base: $119 million for a submarine maintenance facility

Investment in Veterans’ Health and Housing

The bill also allocates billions nationally to support veterans, with Georgia standing to benefit significantly. Highlights include:

• $342 million to expand access to rural health care via transportation and telehealth
• $3.5 billion for veteran housing assistance programs
• $18.9 billion for mental health services, including $698 million for suicide prevention
• $30 million to improve oversight and maintenance of privatized military housing

Longstanding Support for Servicemembers

Warnock’s record on military support includes co-authoring the PACT Act in 2022 to expand veterans’ health care, and introducing multiple bipartisan bills to improve military housing and survivor benefits. Earlier this year, he launched a bipartisan oversight effort demanding better food quality at military dining facilities after troubling reports from Army bases.

“Georgia is a military state, with one in 10 residents connected to the Armed Forces,” Warnock said. “These investments reflect my commitment to making sure they and their families are never forgotten.”

The bill now moves to a conference committee where Senate and House versions will be reconciled before heading to President Biden’s desk.

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