Posted on 04/01/2005 8:48:42 PM PST by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON - A longtime Republican foe of this year's planned closing of military bases is trying to derail the process by blocking Senate confirmation of the head of the commission that helps pick which facilities will be shuttered, congressional aides and lobbyists said Thursday.
Most GOP leaders support closing bases and this latest round likely will go forward. But Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., a staunch defender of military facilities in his state, has pledged to do whatever it takes to block the closures.
Two weeks ago, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved President Bush's nomination of Anthony Principi, Bush's former secretary of veterans affairs, to be chairman of the commission overseeing the process.
The full Senate was expected to vote on the nomination last month before lawmakers left for a holiday break.
By May 16, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is supposed to give the commission his list of which military facilities to close in an effort to save money in the Pentagon's annual budget of almost $500 billion.
But Lott has placed a "hold" on the nomination, said aides and lobbyists speaking on condition of anonymity. The procedural move makes it hard for the Senate to vote on it.
They say Lott is expected to try to delay the confirmation of the other eight nominees once the Senate Armed Services Committee approves them.
Calls this week to Lott's office were not returned.
In February, he told The Associated Press, "I will try to stop it at any point and in any way I possibly can." He says the United States should not be closing domestic bases while its troops are waging war abroad.
Principi said he suspects the reason for the delay was not personal, and noted that some lawmakers simply are concerned about the process going forward.
"I happen to know Senator Lott. We happen to get along," Principi said Thursday.
Without confirmation, Principi cannot put together a staff and build an organization meant to give Rumsfeld's list a thorough, independent review.
"It's been a little bit of a delay," Principi said. "We'll just have to move out a little more aggressively."
The Senate committee is expected to take up the nominations of the other eight committee members in the next few weeks.
Lott has lobbied hard during previous rounds to keep open the Meridian Naval Air Station, the Columbus Air Force Base, and Naval Station Pascagoula. All are major employers in his state and all again could be targeted by the Pentagon.
Last year, Lott and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., proposed delaying the round of domestic base closings until the Pentagon determines what it wants to do with its overseas facilities. The Pentagon and the White House opposed the measure and the Senate defeated it 49-47.
If anything, we need more bases... :)
I'm certainly not a fan of Trent Lott's, but before we get too mad, let's keep in mind that this article was written by the liars at AP and the only evidence it offers is leaks from unnamed "congressional aides and lobbyists."
Probably the leakers are Democrats, since those are the only people AP writers ever talk to.
Well if he is fighting to keep our bases open that is a good thing IMO.
Lott has been actively fighting closure of bases because it provides a nice piece of pork he relies on. This is in large measure what the anti-Rummy attacks were about a few months ago. It was retaliation. Partly because Rummy doesn't kiss up to these Senators. Partly because they didn't wish to lose the funding.
Certainly people can argue whether the bases should be closed, I happen to fall on the side some of these bases are unnecessary. Lott's motivation, imo, is not altruistic but monetary.
Bump and ping!
That picture says it all.
Doesn't it? LOL. Poser.
We need to spend our limited military dollars in the most effective way possible for our troops. That means prioritizing the expenditure of dollars to best help our military effectiveness.
To throw pork money at unneeded bases is a betrayal of our troops and a detriment to our national security. Our defense and national security are too important to be a parochial pork plaything of congress.
He's still a pork-barrelling, helmet-haired homo, I see.
Ditto the San Francisco bay area -- U.S. bases out!
In sourthern California the Dems couldn't wait for the end-of-Cold-War peace dividend -- U.S. defense contractors out!
Well most of the U.S. military bases are gone. Defense contractors are way down.
Speed forward to today. Whining that California sends a dollar to Washington and gets only 90 (?) cents back the Rats are crying, "It's not fa-a-a-a-a-air!"
LOL...Nice hat...
A the Lott haters of the world wonder why we
keep voting him in "ping"
NOW Trent grows a spine? Sheesh.
MM
I sure understand & will admit that Lott's tenure & influence probably help keep MS bases open. Not too many years ago it was supposedly down to Columbus, Meridian or the training base in my small town here in OK. In the end all remained open but wary. Since then our town hired a full-time lobbyist in D.C. and city fathers keep the road hot between here & there.
"A the Lott haters of the world wonder why we keep voting him in "ping"."
Somehow, I had a feeling you would say
something along those lines. ;o)
Magnolia, I think Sonny Montgomery has
been very instrumental in keeping the
base in Meridian open. Trent has done
his fair share, as well.
They shut down VT-4 in Pensacola, so
training is conducted only in Meridian and
in Kingville, TX. (the last I heard, anyway)
The city has been spending a lot of money
showing the Navy just how much they are
appreciated in Meridian. The citizens have
been very involved in the base, and there
are many retirees in Meridian. If they
close the base, those retirees would most
likely move.
I surely do hope they don't close it.
Meridian would dry up and blow away
if they did.
Same here. Pilot training has also been expanded from Air Force only to include Navy & Marines. I also believe that Vance AFB is one of the few bases maintained by civilians.
Who knows what the future holds, but it will be a hard fought fight to keep ALL remaining bases open. It's foolish to think influence peddling from whomever/wherever won't be a factor!
"Who knows what the future holds, but it will be a hard fought fight to keep ALL remaining bases open."
That's very true.
The one advantage that Meridian may
have is that, in addition to pilot training,
it also contains many other schools.
At least, I hope they look at it that way. ;o)
"It's foolish to think influence peddling from whomever/wherever won't be a factor!"
Yep!
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