Scott Klug: “let us try to put this all in perspective for a minute, if we can, because I think if we are listening to the debate in…”

“let us try to put this all in perspective for a minute, if we can, because I think if we are listening to the debate in this Chamber, it is a little hard exactly to figure out what is at issue. Opponents of this amendment, I think, have quite correctly characterized the President interfered in the BRAC Commission situation and essentially tried to keep open two bases for political reasons. I will concede that. But let me argue that I think what opponents of this amendment are trying to do is to simply close down two bases in the country so that we can then ship work to other bases to keep those depots open. This is in its fundamental perspective, I think, a battle over not whether we are going to privatize work done by the United States armed forces or whether we are going to create and guarantee make-work in order to keep government jobs working. I am astonished to hear my good friend from Florida talk about the idea of exposing the Defense Department to the whims of the marketplace. That is what Republicans are supposed to argue for, that we think we can save money. And the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle] is exactly right that privatization always does save money. Now, if we do not strike this language that is in the report done by the committee, what it will essentially say is that a billion and a half dollars worth of work is off the table. One cannot compete for it. One cannot privatize it. It is government workers who have to do it.”