[CPEO-MEF] Senate Rejects Effort To Curb Base Closings

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

WASHINGTON POST
Senate Rejects Effort To Curb Base Closings
By Helen Dewar
Thursday, June 5, 2003; Page A06

The Senate yesterday turned back an effort to scuttle a new round of
military base closings scheduled for 2005, rejecting critics' arguments
that economic and military climates are too uncertain to justify more
closures.

Wrapping up leftover work on the $400.5 billion defense authorization
bill for next year, the Senate also approved proposals to expedite
citizenship for immigrants who serve in the U.S. military and to expand
retirement benefits for disabled veterans. Both were approved by voice
vote.

The House voted 414 to 5 yesterday to approve a separate bill to speed
up naturalization for immigrants in the military, enhancing prospects
for its enactment. The outlook for the retirement benefits proposal was
more doubtful.

The defense bill will now go to a House-Senate conference, where another
round of arguments over base closures appears likely. Closing bases is
always controversial because military facilities generally play big
roles in local economies and in local elected officials' political
futures.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14852-2003Jun4.html

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