Pro-Base Closure Coalition

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Received from Taxpayers for Common Sense <waste_basket@taxpayer.net>

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THE WASTE BASKET March 9, 1998

A Weekly Bulletin on Wasteful Government Spending
from Taxpayers for Common Sense
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New Support to Close Excess Bases

With the support of a brand-new coalition of budget and military watchdog
organizations, the Pentagon is seeking Congressional approval to close
excess military bases which drain $5.6 billion from the federal budget
every year.

The Defense Department's (DOD) request for two more rounds of military base
closures in 2001 and 2005 would continue a process that has been widely
regarded as a success. An independent commission of outside experts reviews
the entire domestic base structure of the U.S. and proposes a list of bases
for closure or reorganization. Because Congress casts an up-or-down vote on
a package of recommendations, the process has successfully limited political
deal-making. Preliminary figures indicate the initial rounds of base
closures will save more than $56.7 billion.

A new round of base closures would consolidate military strengths and free
up funds to give back to taxpayers or pay for higher priority defense needs.
Defense Secretary William Cohen has warned that weapons modernization and
long-term readiness are threatened by what the DOD calls the "budgetary
drain of excess infrastructure." According to a senior Air Force official:
"We can't remain as inefficient as we are, being spread so thin. ... We
have too few wings spread out on all that concrete."

TCS is a member of the new coalition formed just this week to support DOD's
request. Members come from all political perspectives and include Business
Executives for National Security (BENS).

Despite the promise of budget savings and improved military readiness, the
Senate failed to approve the Pentagon's request last year.

For more information, contact Cena Swisher at (202) 546-8500x108 or
cena@taxpayer.net or Erik Pages of BENS (202) 296-2125 or
epages@bens.org.