"I want to call to order the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and today's hearing concerning the need for a BRAC."
"I continue to have significant reservations with authorizing another BRAC round because of critical flaws in terms of both the process and the underlying assumptions."
"So am I safe to assume from that then you are saying there is no empirical evidence that has been put together to support additional rounds of BRAC?"
"My question is this. We know under any scenario of BRAC taking place historically that it takes years to accrue those savings."
"Looking at the savings and the costs from the 2005 BRAC, if you were to take the $35 billion cost of that particular BRAC and play it out over the period of time, that would have bought the United Sta..."
"The question then becomes strategically what is our focus? Is it the budget driving strategy or strategy driving the budget?"
"What I don't want is for us to be put in a position at any future time under any future construct where somebody says you have to close, you know, 20 bases or eliminate 20,000 jobs."
"I haven't heard anything today that indicates that there is a rational basis to pursue a BRAC, nor are there dollars available during these very austere times by which to pursue a BRAC."
"I categorically reject this notion that presumes to balance the Federal budget on the backs of our service members."
"Having budget decisions driving strategy is both immoral and only increases the likelihood of service men and women not returning from future combat."
"I believe that the Department of Defense needs a robust military capacity and that any diminution of this capacity should be staunchly opposed."
"BRAC 2005 was an absolute failure."