Letter to Thad Cochran and Robert C. Byrd

The Honorable Thad Cochran, Chairman,
Committee on Appropriations

The Honorable Robert C. Byrd, Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations

Dear Chairman Cochran and Senator Byrd:

We are writing to urge the Conference Committee to preserve language included in the House Defense Appropriations bill that prohibits funding to implement the privatization of base operations support services at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). You may remember that a similar amendment offered to the Senate Defense Appropriations bill was only narrowly defeated, garnering the support of 48 Senators.

We remain very concerned about the manner in which this A-76 study was conducted. The study has lasted for over six years, resulted in extraordinary costs to implement (over $12 million), and has been conducted contrary to rules governing A-76 competitions. It is unfair to federal employees, who were declared the winner of this competition in September 2004, only to have that decision reversed in early January 2006.

If federal employees are to have any confidence in the A-76 process, it must be conducted with integrity and consistent with applicable laws. This privatization at Walter Reed fails to qualify on either count. We urge you to support inclusion of the House language in the final Conference Report to restore credibility to the A-76 process.

Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.)
Senator Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Md.)
Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo.)
Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).
Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine)
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.)
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.)
Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.)
Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.)
Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
Senator Robert Menedez (D-N.J.)
Senator Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)

http://mikulski.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=262947