MacArthur and Norcross Condemn BRAC Request

Press Release

Congressman Tom MacArthur and Congressman Donald Norcross today reacted to the President's base realignment and closure (BRAC) request:

"It is irresponsible to consider a BRAC without knowing all of the facts," said Congressman Tom MacArthur. "The 2015 Defense Bill required the President to give Congress an estimate of current excess infrastructure and he has not done this. Instead, the President continues to be hell-bent on shuttering military bases without updating a now ten year-old study. Base closures result in huge upfront costs, destroy local communities and diminish our ability to project strength abroad at a critical time in our nation's history. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I fought hard for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and successfully added amendments in our Nation's defense bill to prohibit a BRAC and protect the KC-10 refueling tanker from an early retirement. We cannot put the burden of another BRAC on taxpayers, while simultaneously compromising our nation's military readiness."

"We can't risk compromising our nation's security and fix our economic problems by considering more military base closures. While we recognize the need to streamline our defense budget and reduce excess cost, I cannot and will not support a process that has historically done little to save the Department of Defense money and instead devastated local economies and left a trail of abandoned military facilities requiring extensive environmental cleanup," said Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01). "As the largest employer in Southern New Jersey, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst remains a critical part of our region's economy and national defense. That's why I've taken meaningful actions in Congress to protect the future of the Joint Base, the brave military men & women who serve there, and their families."

Congressman MacArthur partnered with Congressman Norcross during the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ensure South Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-McGuire was protected from a future BRAC and the early retirement of the KC-10 tanker. The Burlington County Times Editorial Board has said the partnership between "MacArthur and Norcross [is] a prime example of how things get done when legislators work together."

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