Connect With Kathy - August 10, 2012

Dear Friends,

It has been another busy week serving New York’s 26th District. Here are some highlights from Western New York and Washington. For more frequent updates, please like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Protecting the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station

This was an exciting week for the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS). As you may know, in March, I invited Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to visit the Air Reserve Station. On Thursday, Secretary Panetta made the trip to Niagara to thank our service men and women for their dedication and hard work and to see firsthand the strategic importance of the installation.

Joined by members of the New York congressional delegation and Lt. Governor Bob Duffy, I had the opportunity to meet with the Secretary to highlight the strategic value of the Air Reserve Station and its current missions, as well as the installation’s technological capacity to support a new mission in the future. After our presentation on the Air Reserve Station, I was pleased to hear the Secretary's commitment to protect the base and to work with the congressional delegation to bring a new mission to NFARS.

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Secretary Panetta is joined by Rep. Hochul at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station

In January, the Department of Defense announced that they would make major cutbacks at military installations to slim down the defense budget over the next decade. Just one month later, in February, the Air Force announced plans to retire 65 C-130 aircraft cargo planes, like those at the Niagara Falls base.

As the sole military installation in the area, the Air Reserve Station plays a vital role in protecting the security of our nation, our region, and our local community. Not only is the Air Reserve Station strategically important to our security, but the base impacts 3,500 jobs for Western New Yorkers having a significant effect on our local economy.

I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Panetta and my colleagues, as well as the leadership of the base, to preserve the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.
 

Contact My Office

As your Representative, I am proud to serve the people of Western New York, and I will continue to work to strengthen our community. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of my offices or email me through my website by clicking here.

Sincerely,
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Kathy Hochul
Member of Congress

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