Pro-BRAC Amendment Defeated 162-259 

(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today blasted the House of Representatives for defeating by a vote of 162-259 an amendment proposed by Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.) that would have allowed the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process to move forward in 2005 as part of H.R. 4200, the fiscal year 2005 Defense Authorization Act.  The House then passed the defense bill with its original provision that delays the 2005 round of base closings until 2007.  The Senate narrowly rejected a similar proposal to derail BRAC.  The question of base closings will now be decided in conference, where House and Senate negotiators will reconcile a final version to be voted on by both chambers of Congress.  The President has threatened to veto any defense bill that would delay or cancel base closures. 

“Rep. Kennedy’s amendment would have allowed the Department of Defense (DOD) to divest itself of unnecessary military facilities,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “The only reason members of Congress interfere with BRAC is to protect bases in their home districts and states.  Representatives who voted against the amendment have assured themselves of not receiving a 100 percent rating in CCAGW’s 2004 Congressional Ratings.”
The DOD released a report in March showing 24 percent "excess capacity" at more than 400 bases across the U.S.  The report officially certified the need for another round of base closings in 2005.  Since 1988, the DOD has closed 97 major installations and realigned the mission at an additional 55 installations.  The process has resulted in a net $17 billion in savings with an annual recurring savings of $7 billion.  The Bush administration says the Pentagon could save another $3 billion a year by eliminating surplus facilities. 

“The purpose of the U.S. military is to defend against foreign aggressors, not to protect legislators’ self-interest,” Schatz continued.  “There is no national security justification to delay BRAC.  The resulting savings can be used to improve our fighting capabilities with better and more precise weaponry and intelligence, buy more armor-plated Humvees, or increase the quality of life for our military forces, such as paying them a higher and well-deserved salary.”

Passed in 1988, BRAC is one of the most important legacies of President Reagan’s Grace Commission, which recommended an independent commission to study base realignment and closure as a way of getting around congressional anxiety over military bases closures in home districts.  The bipartisan effort to delay BRAC is led by members attempting to protect bases in their districts and states, including Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), and Reps. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Gene Taylor (D-Miss.).  Mississippi and Massachusetts are also paying high-priced Washington lobbyists to look out for bases in those states.

“President Bush is right to issue a veto threat,” Schatz concluded.  “Taxpayers and national security win if the Senate version carries the day.  Conferees must reject the House language that scuttles the base closing process.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.