Brownback Comments On Lack Of Support For Troops

Brownback Comments On Lack Of Support For Troops

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today commented on the proposed Continuing Funding Resolution and its lack of support for our military troops. Brownback serves on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations subcommittee and is working with members of the committee and the Kansas Congressional delegation to restore funding. The following statement appears in the Congressional Record:

I am very concerned that the Continuing Resolution does not adequately support our Armed Forces at this critical time. Our military commanders tell me that the resolution passed by the House of Representatives could deprive U.S. bases of $3.1 billion dollars of crucial federal funding. I am particularly concerned about the nearly $375 million dollars of BRAC funding that is supposed to go to Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley. As a member of the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee, I support the Hutchinson-Inhofe amendment to reinstate the $3.1 billion dollars for BRAC that will be lost in the current version of the continuing resolution.

Several of Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth's projects are in jeopardy unless full funding is restored, including: the Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth; the Battle Command Training Center at Fort Riley; the Child Development Center at Fort Riley; Fort Riley's Consolidated Soldier and Family Medical Clinic; Fort Riley Runway Improvements; Phase I of the Combat Aviation Brigade Complex; and the Increment 2 of the First Division Headquarters construction.

Unless we correct this problem in the continuing resolution, it will have a domino effect on future BRAC funding, which will be detrimental to our operations around the world. Fort Riley is a good example. First Division soldiers from Fort Riley continue to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Fort Riley trains the soldiers who will embed with both Afghan and Iraqi forces. Right now, Fort Riley has enough soldiers deployed overseas that it can manage base operations. But as one Fort Riley official put it a few weeks ago, world peace is Fort Riley's worst nightmare - if all the soldiers come home, there is no place to house them all. We need to fund BRAC priorities to stay on schedule and make sure the appropriations process here in the Senate does not adversely affect the ability of our Armed Forces to execute their missions.

We cannot afford to play games with military construction funds. We worked hard last year to write good legislation that funded key priorities. That funding should be restored. All of us come to the Senate floor pledging to support the men and women of our Armed Forces. Our promises of support will ring hollow if we fail to turn our words into action. We need to restore full funding to Military Construction in this continuing resolution.

http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=268953&&days=365&