Posted on 02/15/2012 6:28:57 AM PST by FourPeas
[snip]
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley met Tuesday with Michigan Reps. Candice Miller and Tim Walberg, who concerned about losing the A-10 mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
“Secretary Donley indicated that the Obama Administration is not open to making any alterations to their proposed cuts and all of the cuts outlined last week will be included in the budget the President plans to send to Congress next week,” the two Republicans said in a joint statement.
Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, left a Thursday meeting with Donley still frustrated with the Pentagon’s plans for the Iowa National Guard’s 132nd F-16 Fighter Wing.
“It is becoming clear that the White House’s plan is not based on any sort of cost-benefit analysis,” Latham said.
A number of lawmakers have voiced concerns with the Air Force focus on shrinking Guard and Reserve units rather than more costly active duty units.
[snip]
“The approach to budget cuts that the Air Force has decided to take is simply wrong and for a wide variety of reasons,” [Sen. Patrick] Leahy said.
Reserve units, they said, are far less expense than active duty components even when they are mobilized.
“The Air National Guard costs $2.25 billion less annually than a similarly sized active duty Air Force command. That is a daily savings of $6.2 million,” [Sen. Lindsey] Graham said.
Leahy said the Senate National Guard Caucus, which had 97 members in 2010, would take an active role in opposing the proposed cuts.
“We will not sit by while any of the military services decimate their reserve components,” he said.
Fort Smith's A-10's are to be replaced w/ Predator drones. Friends from Fort Smith, AR are talking a large loss of jobs and a large impact to the local economy.
“Secretary Donley indicated that the Obama Administration is not open to making any alterations to their proposed cuts”
There he goes again....the guy who’s always complaining no one will compromise, once again indicating his unwillingness to compromise.
the case for keeping or losing the planes should be based on military preparedness factors not economics.
DoD is not intended as a jobs engine.
Can you explain to me why conservatives should care that Arkansas loses some of the pork they are skimming from our tax dollars?
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