U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says President Trump's proposed budget spells disaster for Peoria's Air Guard base.
The budget plan calls for a $3.8 billion cut in National Guard spending, including more than $160 million from Air Guard units.
Durbin said the cuts come at the expense of the nearly 1,300 people who work on the 182nd Airlift Wing.
"They need new planes to replace older, more expensive models," he said. "It's a great Air Guard unit, but if the president's taking the money away that they would compete for, then it's going to make it more difficult for them to do that."
Durbin said the president is dipping into defense spending to fund the border wall, despite having other options.
"He already has $10 billion sitting in an account unspent for his wall — more than he could possibly spend in the next year," he said. "To think that we're going to cut back on Air Guard improvements for our national defense is unacceptable."
Durbin said he expects bipartisan pushback against the proposed cuts.
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