RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Friday was a busy day on Capitol Hill, with the House passing an appropriations bill in an effort to avoid a government shutdown. Defense appropriations will include funds to support new bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder.
“Included in this appropriation bill is the spending – or the funding – for the continued development of all the necessary infrastructure for the eventual deployment of the B-21 bomber at Ellsworth Air Force Base,” said Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD). “This keeps it on track. And it also includes the purchase of the eventual next series of bombers as well, so that we can get closer to the point of deploying them at Ellsworth Air Force Base.”
Airmen at Ellsworth began preparations for the addition of the stealth bomber in 2023. Housing and maintaining a B-21 are not easy tasks, so this federal support would …