WASHINGTON– Congressman Bishop (R-UT) today expressed concern over U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s reported plans to recommend that Congress authorize a new round of Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC), with the process beginning as early as next year.
“We have a constitutional obligation to provide for the national defense of our country. The safety and security of our country rests squarely on our military readiness and defense capabilities, which have been under attack by the current Administration. The President has spent the last three years making significant cuts to Defense spending, including the area of missile defense. As a result, we are less secure against threats from other countries such as Iran and North Korea. Let me be very clear, defense should not exempt from budgetary scrutiny and BRAC may very well be warranted in the future, but to be done properly the process takes time,” said Congressman Bishop. “The reality is that BRAC can bring both opportunity and hardship for military communities. It’s a complex process that should not be done in haste. A hastily conducted BRAC round could do more harm than good to our military readiness while causing significant pain to military communities and the loss of jobs.”
“I remain very concerned that the President continues to unduly target our national defense for budget cuts, while utilizing billions of taxpayer dollars to fund countless programs in which the federal government has no business being involved. Before a BRAC process should occur, the first order of business should be examining the overall impact that the already mandated cuts will have to military readiness. Because of the cuts the Administration has already made to many defense programs, the specialized maintenance capabilities unique to places like Hill Air Force Base become that much more essential,” Bishop added. “I am concerned about the impact BRAC could have on jobs in Utah and across the country, especially as we work to bring stability and greater certainty to our waning economy. However, in this instance, jobs are not the primary focus of my concern. This past year this Administration reinforced the fact that they do not appear to recognize the significance of what is done at places like Hill. The President’s relentless pursuit to diminish defense capabilities is deeply troubling. He is banking on his ability to predict the future when he clearly doesn’t understand the past.”
“I am concerned about the impact BRAC could have on jobs in Utah…” Does this mean that Rep. Bishop is worried about continuing federal jobs as a work/jobs program? The main reason this is occuring is because ciongress has refused to work on serious defecit reduction. The possible reduction in the defense budget was mandated by congress as an alternative to its failure to have a serious discussion on defecit reduction. Defense cuts were included to make serious the plan for reduction. Congressman Bishop is also responsible for possible job losses at HAFB.