Political Quotes

“I do oppose this amendment. I, like many Members, have concerns and share the gentleman's concerns about another round of BRAC. I realize that this is a complex issue for all Members of Congress, especially those with military facilities in their district. I know that previous rounds of BRAC have ended up being far more expensive and expansive than we were initially led to believe. However, I have concerns about maintaining the infrastructure that the Department of Defense doesn't need. For example, the estimate of excess capacity for the Army is 22 percent. The Air Force's estimate of excess capacity is roughly 30 percent. I can tell you that, since I became the ranking member of this subcommittee, when I have traveled around the world, almost to a person, when we have spoken to a leader on a military base, they raise the issue of needing to go through another round of BRAC. Both the Army and the Air Force are strong supporters of another BRAC round. While this amendment has no real effect, it does send a message that Congress is unwilling to tackle a tough issue. This amendment is an abdication of our duties as Members of this House to ensure taxpayer resources are being used in a wise and fiscally responsible way. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and have a serious conversation about another BRAC round. While I am not suggesting that we support another BRAC round, we should not be tying our hands by taking it off the table. Mr.…”