Olympia Snowe: “I respond to several of the issues raised by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services. It is…”

“I respond to several of the issues raised by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services. It is important. We have to establish the fact that this is the first time we are applying the statute in this fashion. It is the first time this statutory language is applying to a base-closing round that allows the Department of Defense to establish and impose fair market value for the use of this property as opposed to transferring it for free to a local redevelopment authority. This is not some special interest authority. These are local communities, State officials who have a genuine interest in the future of their communities, whereas the Department of Defense is interested in a one-time sale. I hope we would respect the interests of the community that is directly affected. After all, they are the ones who are disproportionately bearing the burden of the base closure. Why isn't it that they wouldn't have a direct interest in shaping it? This is the first time this statute is going to apply to a base- closing round. Is it fair, at a time we are asking our citizens, our constituents, to pay $200 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq, losing your bases, and then we are saying, If you want them back and you want that property, you pay for it? We have had four previous base-closing rounds. We had 97 major base closures. Then we had 235 smaller sized closures and 55 major realignments. And we never asked for fair market value.…”