John Hansen: “I hope my colleagues here will realize that what we are looking at is the integrity of BRAC that was passed by the…”

“I hope my colleagues here will realize that what we are looking at is the integrity of BRAC that was passed by the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], now our majority leader. The law is very clear of what we can and cannot do. The President of the United States had 15 days, an up or down. There was no privatization in place. The idea that Members can find themselves in a position to say that we are saving money here is amazing to me. I cannot imagine anyone saying that. Here is something called the GAO report. The Air Force by their own admission says the amendment by the gentleman from Alabama would cost $689 million a year. It is impossible to accept that. Mr. Chairman, let me point out, the issue before us today comes down to this: Can the President hide his politically motivated job program behind the shield of privatization and trick enough of us to look the other way? Each side is going to have their share of letters and quotes to support their argument. I would ask my colleagues all to stay focused on the central question: Does it make sense for the Air Force to continue to operate 5 depots at under 50 percent capacity when the closure and consolidation of the 2 least efficient will save over $689 million per year? I would hope that each and every one of us would give some real thought to what this really does and does not do. I wrote this language. I think I can speak with authority on this thing. It does not prevent anyone from bidding on non-core work.”