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New Jersey Lawmaker Seeks $62M for William J. Hughes Technical Center, Requests Local EDI Projects
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Summary
Representative Jeff Van Drew asked the appropriations subcommittee for $62 million to sustain laboratories and infrastructure at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center and requested community project funding for a dental hygiene school, shelter water infrastructure and an aviation maintenance training academy.
WASHINGTON — Representative Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) asked the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development subcommittee to continue a $62 million investment for the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center and requested several community project grants for his district during the FY26 member-day hearing.
Van Drew said the FY25 bill included $62 million for laboratories and infrastructure sustainment at the technical center and asked the committee to allocate the same amount from the Facilities and Equipment account in FY26. He broke down requests to congressional staff as follows: $6 million for disaster resiliency of critical national aerospace systems, $29 million for water and utility systems sustainment, and $20.7 million for electrical system sustainment to support airport operations and airfield lighting.
Nut graf: The representative also sought $10 million from the research, engineering and development account for an emerging technologies accelerator and listed three community project requests from the Economic Development Initiative (EDI) account: $3 million for a dental hygiene school at Atlantic Cape Community College, $3.5 million for emergency shelter water infrastructure to expand water and sewer access into a school auditorium, and $2.5 million to design a site for an aviation maintenance training academy.
Details from testimony
- Technical center: Van Drew said the technical center benefits multiple federal and local tenants, including the Coast Guard, Air National Guard, Department of Homeland Security and the Atlantic City Airport, and that the requested funds would support resiliency, water utility and electrical upgrades.
- Community projects: The dental hygiene school request includes a reported nonfederal match of more than $2 million from Atlantic County; Van Drew said the project would address a regional shortage of dental hygienists. He described the water-infrastructure project as enabling emergency shelter use of a school auditorium.
- Resubmissions and matches: Van Drew said these are FY25 resubmissions, noting prior submissions did not secure funding and that matching nonfederal partners exist for some projects.
What was not decided: The subcommittee took testimony and did not make appropriations decisions at the hearing. Members questioned whether the broader appropriations system needs procedural reform, but no committee action followed.
Ending: Van Drew said he would provide staff additional information on personnel needs at the technical center and encouraged the committee to sustain the technical center investments to support aviation infrastructure and local jobs.
