Senators, others hopeful Trump could send fighter aircraft to key Michigan base

WASHINGTON — Michigan's two Democratic senators wrote Monday to President Donald Trump, thanking him for his recent "commitment" to base a new fighter mission at Macomb County's Selfridge Air National Guard Base and offering to work with him on the effort to replace the A-10s that are being decommissioned there.

The letter was sent a day before Trump's scheduled return to Michigan for the first time since winning the battleground state in November and after remarks he made in the Oval Office over two weeks ago. At that time, Trump stated that he was working with Michigan leaders to keep Selfridge open and teased the possibility of new fighter jets for the base, such as F-16s or F-35s.

"I think we're going to be successful, governor. I think we'll be very successful there," Trump said about Selfridge in remarks in the Oval Office on April 9 with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican state House Speaker Matt Hall standing nearby the president's desk.

"It's a great piece of property. It's a great location, and it's a great state. So I think we're going to come back with a very good answer."

Trump's remarks have fueled speculation in Michigan circles in recent days that the president could make some sort of announcement about the future of Selfridge during his visit to Macomb County on Tuesday for an evening rally marking his 100th day in office.

The president is scheduled to land at the air base ahead of the rally, and "we are all waiting with great optimism that there will be a very big announcement at Selfridge," said former U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, who represented the Selfridge base for 14 years in Congress and is now the honorary base commander

"I really think ― fingers crossed ― that we are going to hear something very positive tomorrow," said Miller, who is now Macomb County public works commissioner.

"I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if we hear that we’re in the hunt or we’re going to get F-16s or perhaps F-35s."

Miller speculated that it makes sense militarily and strategically to withdraw a squadron of fighter aircraft from Europe — where other NATO members are expected to bolster their own defenses — and send it to Michigan.

"If that were to happen, it would be transformational for this area," Miller said.

For years, bipartisan Michigan lawmakers and officials have urged the Pentagon to assign Selfridge another fighter aircraft mission to replace the A-10 squadron, which is scheduled to be retired by the end of the decade, resulting in job losses for the area.

President Joe Biden's administration, Miller noted, heard the requests but didn't come through with a recapitalization plan for the fighter jets.

"We have been advocating for this for a long time, and President Biden basically told us, 'No way. It wasn't going to happen,'" Miller said.

"And now we have a chance to have this happen for this administration, so it is obviously incredibly exciting. We'll see what happens. We're trying not to get our hopes up too much, but I guess we'll know tomorrow."

Michigan Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin ― both of whom sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee ― emphasized in their Monday letter to Trump the bipartisan support in Michigan's congressional delegation and among state and local leaders for Selfridge. They also touted Detroit's nickname as the “Arsenal of Democracy” for its role in producing tanks, airplanes and equipment for World War II.

"Selfridge is the ideal location for a future fighter mission with the experienced pilots, crews and maintainers, access to world-class exercises and training ranges with state-of-the-art infrastructure," the senators wrote.

"Your announcement is an important step towards realizing our long-held goal, and we are ready to work with you, the Department of Defense and the Air Force to identify and base a new advanced fighter mission at Selfridge."

A new fighter mission at Selfridge, they added, would ensure the Air Force preserves the Michigan Air National Guard's 107th Squadron’s "experienced and capable" pilots, crews, and maintainers and also maintain the Air Force's access to "unmatched" overland and overwater training spaces.

The base's current representative in Congress, GOP Rep. John James of Shelby Township, told The Detroit News last week that Trump is "very aware" of Selfridge but declined to confirm whether he expected the president to make an announcement Tuesday about the base's future.

"He recognizes the great opportunity we have at Selfridge," James said.

Whitmer previously pledged $100 million in state money to infrastructure improvements at Selfridge to try to attract another fighter mission to the base. The state Legislature has put nearly $30 million in funding into a runway realignment project and other updates at the base in recent years.

Last week, the Michigan Senate's Appropriations Military, Veterans, and State Police Subcommittee approved a budget for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, allocating an additional $26 million in funds to support upgrades at Selfridge, primarily for the runway project at the base.

That brings the total allocated for Selfridge upgrades for the last three funding cycles to over $54 million, said state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores.

Hertel indicated Monday that he'd welcome news of a fighter squadron for the base, stressing the importance of the jobs there and the base's $800 million of economic impact on the local economy.

"There's a reason we've all been working so hard to get this done because it's so critical not only to the region but stateside, to protect our other military assets, as well," Hertel said.

"We will work with anybody — including this administration — to get this accomplished, so we’re hopeful there will be some determinations made soon."

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Staff Writer Craig Mauger contributed to this story.