Cost-cutting is the order of the day in the halls of Congress, and lawmakers are coming up with new and inventive ways to find money for hurricane relief efforts. One of the ideas was the Republican Study Committees’ proposed closing schools located on stateside bases and transferring the children to nearby school districts. The plan, according to the committee, would save an estimated $788 million over 10 years. The trouble is, many dependent schools—of which there are 64 in seven states and Puerto Rico—are in rural areas with limited tax bases and scarce resources.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
