Haley Stevens: “I have been so informed by the Senator from Virginia, but he has not said that in my presence. Let me note for the…”

“I have been so informed by the Senator from Virginia, but he has not said that in my presence. Let me note for the Senator, the way this amendment is drafted, the money to maintain 12 carriers would come out of this bill, the supplemental appropriations, to be used for nonemergency purposes. Whatever happens to my objection, I hope that you will look at this amendment because we are informed that this would take $288 million out of the funds in this bill. From a policy point of view, decommissioning the Kennedy as the Navy proposes in the fiscal year 2006 budget will have minimal near-term operational impact due to a previously scheduled complex overhaul that was scheduled to begin in May of this year. This complex overhaul would result in 2 years of nonavailability for the ship. Decommissioning the Kennedy also has minimal near-term industrial base impacts and allows the Navy to free resources necessary to fight the global war on terrorism while preparing to face future challenges. The Navy's plan to decommission the Kennedy will save $1.2 billion over fiscal years 2006 through 2011. These savings are critical for modernizing our Naval forces, and for providing the necessary resources for the Navy's shipbuilding account. The Kennedy was chosen for decommissioning because of its material condition and operational readiness. The Kennedy has never been through a major upgrade. It served as a Reserve carrier from 1995 to 1998.…”