[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 45 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E560]]
        MILITARY BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE PROJECTS FOR 2007

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                          HON. NANCY E. BOYDA

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 15, 2007

  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
upcoming 2007 fiscal year supplemental appropriations bill.
  Much of the debate on this bill has focused, quite rightly, on the 
provisions that codify President Bush's benchmarks for Iraq into law. 
That is an important subject that I plan to discuss in depth tomorrow.
  But for now I wish to spotlight another element of this legislation, 
a fulfillment of a promise to America's military installations. The 
supplemental bill will fully fund Base Realignment and Closure projects 
through 2007, and in so doing, it will close the books on one of the 
109th Congress's most shameful failures.
  As you may know, the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission was 
charged with restructuring the American military to better prosecute 
the war on terror. In the course of their work, the Commission 
discovered that certain American bases have outstanding strengths that 
are uniquely valuable in modern-day wars. The Commission asked these 
installations to scale up their operations, and Congress, in turn, 
promised to fully fund these expansions.
  Among the targeted bases were three in my district: Fort Leavenworth, 
Fort Riley, and Forbes Field. The base commanders promptly enacted 
plans to build new facilities and house new personnel--all in the name 
of protecting America, trusting Congress to fulfill its promise.
  But a promise made is not always a promise kept, and the 109th 
Congress was well known for breaking its word. In their 2 years in 
office, they cast aside promises to veterans, to schools, to farmers 
and ranchers, to children and seniors--and, sadly, to America's 
military bases as well.
  For the 2007 fiscal year, when BRAC projects needed $5.6 billion to 
move forward as planned, the last Congress appropriated only $1.5 
billion. Worse, they attached strings to what little funding they 
provided, which essentially blocked all new construction on BRAC 
projects for 6 months. As of October I, 2006, all new construction came 
to an immediate halt. Worse yet, the bases most impacted by 
underfunding were those that stood to gain the most from BRAC--that is, 
the very bases at the frontline of the war on terror.
  I cannot find words to express the scale of this catastrophe. The 
last Congress left our Nation less secure and our troop less supported. 
They closed their wallets and their hearts to the soldiers who so 
courageously fight the war on terror.
  When Democrats took over Congress in January, we acted immediately to 
right this grave wrong. We passed a further $1 billion in BRAC funding 
by the end of January, and we promised to move promptly to fully fund 
BRAC through supplemental funding. More importantly, these funds 
allowed new construction to start.
  And unlike the last Congress, when this Congress makes a promise to 
our soldiers, we deliver.
  The bill now under consideration will fully fund BRAC for the current 
fiscal year. It will help the United States military better fight the 
war on terror, and it will strengthen and secure our great nation. I 
urge all of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, to keep 
their word to our troops and support this critical legislation.

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