U.S. Rep. Dale Strong is putting his record at the center of his reelection campaign, pointing to what he says are tangible results for North Alabama on infrastructure, public safety, postal reform and the region’s growing defense footprint.

Strong (R-Huntsville) is facing Democratic nominee Andrew Sneed in the November 3rd general election. Asked during an interview with 256 Today about a recent comment in which Strong said, “I don’t even know who that other guy is,” the congressman made clear he is keeping the focus on his own record and what he has accomplished for North Alabama.

“You know, that’s the one thing that I’ve done in the time that I’ve served in public office,” Strong said. “I focus on the accomplishments that I’ve had in a little less than two terms in Congress.”

The Monrovia native pointed to investments in roads and water infrastructure, job creation and public safety as part of that record.

“We’ve made a difference for everyone in North Alabama, whether it’s roads, whether it’s jobs, whether it’s safe drinking water, whether it’s public safety for our law enforcement,” Strong said.

Strong said representing the 5th District means remaining an active part of the communities he serves, not simply representing them from Washington.

“We spend a good bit of time in DC because that’s what the job that I took,” said Strong. “But every second that I’m home, I am somewhere in one of the six counties or 41 cities that’s in this district.”

‘Reward those who work hard’

While national politics will inevitably play a role in the race, Strong said the concerns he hears from constituents are closer to home.

“No matter where I’m at, grocery prices are a concern for everybody,” he said. “The price of gasoline and diesel fuel, whether you’re talking to farmers or whether you’re talking to someone that’s just going to work every day, those are the things where we can put money back in people’s pockets.”

Strong pointed to provisions in the federal tax and spending law eliminating federal income taxes on certain tips and overtime as examples.

“Reward those that work hard,” he said. “But we’ve still got things that need to be done. And I can tell you, lowering grocery prices and fuel prices is at the top of the list.”

Space Command move picking up speed

Back home, U.S. Space Command’s relocation to Redstone Arsenal is now in full motion, with personnel already working on the arsenal and construction underway as North Alabama prepares to become the command’s permanent home. 

The congressman said using a commercial-style design-build approach rather than the traditional military construction process should help accelerate construction of the highly secure headquarters.

“What that means is it will be faster, it will be quicker, but that will be a design-build,” Strong said. “It’s going to be more than $2 billion to build this building.”

The headquarters itself is part of the broader cost of relocating the command, which also includes the technology, secure communications, infrastructure and logistics required to establish Space Command’s permanent operations at Redstone Arsenal. 

Strong said the investment reflects both the command’s national security mission and the advantages of locating it in North Alabama.

“This is going to be high tech, top secret,” he said. “This is something that is for America’s defense capabilities.”

He also pointed to Alabama’s workforce and lower construction and operating costs as long-term advantages.

“The cost to construct, the cost to maintain is so much more cost effective in Alabama than it is in other places,” Strong said. “But also our education level and the workforce is prepared to take on those tasks.”

Building the next generation

That workforce was also on display this week when Strong joined defense leaders and fellow members of Alabama’s congressional delegation for the opening of Auburn University’s new Applied Research Institute laboratory in Cummings Research Park.

The 50,000-square-foot facility brings advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping, space research and specialized radiation-effects testing closer to the federal agencies and defense organizations at Redstone Arsenal.

Strong said the new Auburn facility is entering a region where technical talent has become one of North Alabama’s defining strengths.

“We have the highest concentration of engineers and Ph.D.s per capita anywhere in the country,” he said.

He also pointed to the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the number of graduates who remain in the area after earning their degrees.

“That’s where we get our next line of folks to carry out the mission, and the U.S. warfighter’s better because of it,” Strong said.

The goal, he said, is making sure Washington continues to understand what North Alabama can deliver.

“We’re letting Washington, D.C., know our capabilities, whether it be in drones, whether it be in targeting, whether it be in weaponry,” Strong said.

Postal reform moves toward a vote

Strong is also continuing his push for changes at the U.S. Postal Service after Alabama’s entire congressional delegation backed his Postal Executive Responsibility, Fiscal Oversight, and Results-based Management Act, or PERFORM Act.

The legislation would tie the Postmaster General’s eligibility for performance bonuses to delivery standards and financial benchmarks.

Strong said the proposal grew out of persistent mail delays in North Alabama following the closure of the region’s processing center and consolidation of operations in Birmingham.

“I’ve got city halls that hadn’t seen mail in more than three weeks,” he said. “I’ve got a courthouse in North Alabama that the license director didn’t get mail for more than a month. This is totally unacceptable.”

Strong said the House legislation and Senate companion sponsored by U.S. Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville are positioned for their next steps.

“It’s ready for the floor on both sides,” he said. “Coach and Senator Britt both are taking it on the Senate. We’ll be rolling it at the House, and I feel very favorable and feel comfortable that the president will sign it immediately after we get it passed.”

‘They know Dale Strong’ 

Strong’s public service began long before Congress. A longtime volunteer firefighter and EMT, he served 26 years on the Madison County Commission, including as chairman from 2012 to 2023, and spent decades working with HEMSI and the region’s emergency response community.

For Strong, that history and his work in Congress give voters a record on which to judge his reelection bid.

“I’ve got a heck of a record to campaign on,” Strong said. “But the big thing is the people of the 5th Congressional District, they know Dale Strong.”

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