Posted on 09/25/2001 5:23:25 PM PDT by freedomnews
Senators Back Base Closings 53-47
Tuesday, September 25, 2001 8:02 p.m. EDT
- - - - - By CAROLYN SKORNECK Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush's base-closings initiative was endorsed Tuesday by the Senate with strong support from Democrats, but it faces objections from House members who have tried to derail any mothballing of facilities.
The Senate vote of 53-47 stopped an effort to remove a base-closings provision from the $343 billion defense bill that authorizes money for the military efforts of the Defense and Energy departments for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
``This vote is really all about whether we're going to do business as usual, and preserve our bases in our states whether they're necessary or not, or whether we're going to have ... the most efficient military machine to fight this long, protracted struggle'' against terrorism, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a longtime base-closing supporter, said in debate before the vote.
Before the authorization bill can become law, a House-Senate conference must resolve differences between the versions approved by each chamber. The House measure, which lawmakers began debating Tuesday, intentionally omits any mention of base closings.
Meanwhile, missile defense has largely disappeared as a point of partisan contention, part of the national unity that emerged following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In the House, a bipartisan amendment to cuts funds from that program while boosting anti-terrorism efforts by $400 million - for a total of about $6 billion - was expected to pass easily.
Bush sought $8.3 billion for missile defense, a $3 billion increase over this year's spending.
The Senate agreed Friday to provide the full $8.3 billion, but would let the president use $1.3 billion to combat terrorism instead.
The House Armed Services Committee reduced the $8.3 billion request last month by $135 million. The amendment, co-sponsored by committee Chairman Bob Stump, R-Ariz., and its top Democrat, Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, would cut another $265 million, leaving $7.9 billion for missile defense.
The additional anti-terrorism money would be ``an initial down payment until the president can better assess the long-term needs,'' Stump said.
Skelton said plans for a ``very spirited debate'' over missile defense ended with the terrorist attacks, when both parties agreed ``the nation would not be served by a divisive debate.''
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., proposed, then withdrew, an amendment regarding the Puerto Rican island Vieques, where the Navy has trained for decades. The amendment would have canceled a planned November referendum of Vieques residents on whether the Navy should stop training in 2003, when Bush has said it will, or stay and pay $50 million for public works projects. Inhofe acted as Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., planned to attach a requirement undermining his amendment.
The White House does not want the vote held. A House bill would call it off while requiring the Navy to keep using Vieques until an equivalent or better training site is found.
Regarding base closings, the Senate bill calls for one round in 2003, with an independent panel deciding which bases would be affected, and the Congress and president approving or rejecting the entire list.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., the Senate Armed Services Committee's top Republican, read from a letter by Gen. Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saying, ``The authority to eliminate excess infrastructure will be an important tool our forces will need to become more efficient and serve as better custodians of the taxpayers' money.''
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., meanwhile, said it was wrong to press for such upheavals ``when our reserves are being called up, our National Guard is being called up, our communities are being told, `Support our military.'''
Four rounds of base-closings - in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 - led to the closing or realignment of 451 installations, including 97 major ones
This initiative does nothing more than 'trim the fat' and get rid of a lot of redundant jobs taking care of the facilities ... keeping an unneeded or redundant facility open only means that politicans are wasting my money to keep some colleague happy ... pork barrell politics in the 60s through 80s created a ridiculous number of military facilities that have no real purpose other than to bring jobs to a congressional district as a political payoff.
HAHAHAHAHAHA! My first laugh of the day. Thanks, and be on the watch for..................................
Each of them will go to their grave with this indelible mark on their character, and they care not, as they are aligned with the every decadence imaginable.
The vast majority in the Congress of the United States are the greatest evil doers in America, and the world.
In it's silence the overwhelming majority of American Citizens blindly condone the rape of our God given rights by a treacherous and traitorous government, while giving our quite approval of, and financially underwriting of a world-wide campaign of pain and suffering to erect a world government that neither respects God or the fundamental bedrock of all societies - the family.
We must bear in mind the government is a mirror reflection of the will of the people who put it in place.
Thanks, as always, for the flag.
Where the heck do they plan to house and train our military? I hope they know what they are doing.
You must not frequent the PX much. Wal-Mart beats the PX in price 9 times out of 10.
Perhaps you meant the Commissary...which is rapidly catching up in price to off-base stores.
do not beleive so. Wal Mart is cheaper.What is your military experience?As far as warner is concerned, just because he is a senator does not make him creditable.If being a senator gives you wisdom and creditbility then hillary is a god.
One must remember that in many cases when bases and posts were initially established that the areas in which they were established were quite remote so as to take advantage of open space, away from civilian populations for training.
In either case, bases that are unneeded and inefficient should be closed down. The defense budget is not a jobs program.
---max
Lighten up, kristinn. It was a simple fun-loving flame...Aloha Ronnie can respond if he likes. Besides, some of the PR problems FR has is because of these conspriracy kooks. I take great joy in pointing our their kookiness...it tickles me.
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