OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Disapproving the Recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission

Date: Oct. 28, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense


DISAPPROVING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DEFENSE BASE CLOSURE AND REALIGNMENT COMMISSION -- (Extensions of Remarks - October 28, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. MARK GREEN
OF WISCONSIN
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2005

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration of the joint resolution (H.R. Res. 65) disapproving the recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission:

Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, first and foremost, the implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommendations will provide badly needed cost savings to our Nation. With the current state of our Federal budget, the enormous estimated spending reductions of over $35 billion achieved through this new BRAC round are necessary to help put our fiscal house in order. These recommendations will also better enable our military services to confront the new threats our Nation faces today--increasing efficiency and effectiveness, and improving our national security.

That said, I still firmly disagree with some of the specific BRAC recommendations, such as the closure of the 440th Airlift Wing at General Mitchell Field in Milwaukee. The closure of the 440th is the wrong decision,. and I have done everything in my power to try and convince the BRAC Commission that keeping the 440th up and running is an important priority. The 1,100 brave men and women of this unit have proven themselves often in recent missions to Honduras, Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and several trips to Iraq. I believe their continued operations would have enhanced the security of our country.

Today, however, we were faced with an up-or-down vote on the BRAC Commission recommendations as a whole. On balance, I found the recommendations to be worthy of approval, and voted--with some reservations--against the motion to disapprove the final BRAC report.

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