Cliff Stearns: “I stand here to talk to my colleagues about base closure. I think many of us realize we just went through a base closure…”

“I stand here to talk to my colleagues about base closure. I think many of us realize we just went through a base closure operation not too long ago and I was involved with it. We are having another one in 1995. I want to point out to my colleagues we had a vote on the House floor to slow down this process and I think it is important we do that. Now that Republicans are in control, I hope all of us will realize we have an opportunity to preserve some very important bases around this country, which brings me to my point about a very important base in my congressional district in Jacksonville, FL. It is a naval depot. My friends, it is creating a profit. After all is said and done, here is a government operation that is creating profit every year, so why should we be shutting down something like that? The community is coming together very strongly to protect it. In fact on Monday the First Coast Manufacturing Association kicked off a campaign of 500,000 postcards in support of the Jacksonville depot.”