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Following Rubio’s Efforts, New Hurricane Hunter Included in 2018 Omnibus

Mar 21, 2018 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement today after working with Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, to secure a new hurricane hunter aircraft in the 2018 omnibus:
 
“The 2017 hurricane season inflicted widespread damage throughout Florida, and I am pleased there will be funding for a new aircraft to bolster the hurricane hunter mission. The purchase of a new plane will replace an outdated and aging aircraft that had been sidelined for previous missions. Our hurricane hunters play an integral role in obtaining lifesaving data, and I am proud that we are taking this vital mission seriously by investing in our storm tracking capabilities. I would like to thank Chairmen Cochran and Shelby for their commitment to this Florida priority by including this funding.”
 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane hunters are based in Lakeland, Florida.