Georgia lawmakers fight plan to close pilot training center

raphael warnock
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., listens during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Feb. 3, 2022, in Washington. (Ken Cedeno/Pool via AP, File)

A bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers is asking congressional budget writers to reject the Biden administration’s plan to close a training facility for military pilots in the state.

The five Georgia congressmen, led by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, sent a letter to key members of House and Senate subcommittees that oversee defense budgets to request $11.5 million to keep open the Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah.

President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal 2023 would eliminate funding for the Air National Guard center that conducts air-to-air combat training missions for both reservist and active-duty fighter pilots.