In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, the representatives ask that language protecting the one-star Air Force Reserve unit at Fort Bragg be included in the 2016 Defense Appropriations Bill…

… The five congressmen include four Republicans - Ellmers, Richard Hudson, David Rouzer and George Holding - and one Democrat, Price…

…Last week, Ellmers, Sen. Thom Tillis and a representative of Sen. Richard Burr met with Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to discuss the inactivation. Representatives for Tillis and Ellmers said the meeting was short on answers.

In that meeting, Air Force officials said they are not closing the unit, a claim that was rejected by the lawmakers.

"The Air Force continues to state that removing airmen from the 440th does not constitute an attempt to shutter the air wing, despite the fact that C-130s cannot be flown without pilots and maintainers," Tillis said in a statement following the meeting.

Read the full article here.