LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan House Republicans are proposing a $152 million budget supplemental to fund runway upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, aiming to secure a new fighter mission before 2028.
Speaker Matt Hall said the funding would replace existing runways with updated infrastructure capable of supporting 21 F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets and a KC-46A Pegasus refueling squadron. The new mission was announced last spring following a White House meeting between Hall, Gretchen Whitmer, and Donald Trump.
“To do this in 2028, we can’t rely on the federal government to pay for these runways,” Hall said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Hall said the state must act quickly to meet an accelerated timeline and deliver the supplemental to the governor’s desk before spring break. He argued the state can move faster than the federal government and said securing the jets before 2028 is critical.
“We want to ensure that this happens while President Trump is still there so that he can ensure that we truly get this fighter mission,” Hall said.
State Rep. Ron Robinson is expected to sponsor the supplemental. Other Macomb County Republicans, including Alicia St. Germaine and Joe Aragona, stood with Hall in support of the plan.
Aragona said the base and surrounding defense corridor account for roughly $1 billion in economic impact for Macomb County.
“If Selfridge were to fall, how many other businesses, both large and small, would be in jeopardy?” Aragona said.
St. Germaine said residents in her district strongly support the new mission.
“Those jets fly over our houses. They’re loud, and we say from District 62, bring it on,” she said.
The supplemental must still pass the House and Senate before heading to Whitmer’s desk. Hall said he hopes the Legislature can move the funding quickly to begin runway construction this year and keep the fighter mission on schedule for 2028.
