Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate very much the efforts by Mr. McClintock, but simply put, now is not the time to consider a Base Realignment and Closure. In the past, BRAC has been used without conducting a thorough study, has incurred significant costs and jeopardized valuable military communities, such as those of the Midlands of South Carolina surrounding Fort Jackson or the Aiken-Barnwell community that I represent adjacent to Fort Gordon, Georgia. If facilities are shuttered, the existing secure assets will not be reasonably replicated. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee just last month, Secretary Jim Mattis stated that he also has reservations about the BRAC assessments. It is also important to be clear: BRAC is not a proven cost-saving measure. The last BRAC cost 67 percent more than planned to carry out, dramatically reducing any projected savings. It would be undermining to our national security and to communities around the Nation to close down military installations without a comprehensive study, especially as the military works to grow the force to address emerging threats around the globe. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), the ranking member.”