During his tenure in the Florida Legislature we referred to him as the “Yosemite Sam” of the state after he pushed for open carry legislation.
Now U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), who hasn’t met a TV camera he didn’t love and is one of President Trump’s biggest supporters, is making a quite a name for himself as being a savior of the military and of veterans. Let’s call him G.I. Matt.Since arriving in Washington in 2017, Gaetz has been front and center when it comes to all things military, especially as it pertains to helping fund national security efforts and taking are of veteran’s affairs.
Gaetz’s latest move to help the military was securing funding for SPACE-A travel benefits and other necessary service-related disability benefits for veterans, in addition to lassoing $41.9 million for military test ranges.
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One of the largest, if not the largest U.S. Military test ranges is the Gulf Test Range, which so happens to be situated just off the Florida coastline from Gaetz’s congressional.
Just how important is this test range? According to Gaetz’s press office, the 120,000-square mile range hosts a whole bunch of military activities.
“Spanning the coast of Florida’s First Congressional District, the Gulf Test Range provides approximately 120,000 square miles of overwater airspace. It is used for high altitude, supersonic air combat training, as well as air-to-air missile testing, drone targeting, hypersonic weapons testing, and space launches. Additionally, the Air Force Special Operations Command, the 96th Test Wing, the 33rd Fighter Wing, and others all train on the Gulf Test Range.”
Gaetz commented about the passage of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The FY2019 NDAA passage in the House Armed Services Committee is a tremendous victory for Florida’s First Congressional District. We have continued our effort to enhance military test ranges, including the Gulf Test Range. We have also secured funding for a new Air Traffic Control Tower at NAS Whiting Field, and we have secured SPACE-A travel for veterans with service-related disabilities on military flights. This is a great bipartisan first step. I look forward to the House passing this bill, and continuing to rebuild our great military.”
More on Gaetz here.