Heritage to ‘key vote’ amendment on base closures

An influential conservative group is pushing House Republicans to vote in favor of a defense policy bill amendment that would strip out language preventing a new round of base closures.

Heritage Action for America said Wednesday it will “key vote” the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) amendment on its scorecard, meaning a vote against it will be held against lawmakers.

“Allowing the [Department of Defense] to save precious resources and better manage military bases should not be controversial,” Heritage Action said Wednesday. “Unfortunately, for the past five years, Congress has denied the Pentagon’s request to conduct a new round of BRAC that could generate $2 billion in annual savings by shutting down military bases and infrastructure that waste taxpayer dollars.”

The National Defense Authorization Act, which the House began to debate Wednesday, would again prohibit a new round of BRAC.

But an amendment from Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) would strike that language. The amendment has been made in order by the Rules Committee and is expected to come to the House floor Wednesday evening.

“After five years of denying the Pentagon’s request for BRAC, Congress should prioritize military readiness and taxpayer dollars over their own political interests by voting for the McClintock Amendment,” Heritage Action said. “The amendment would not impose a BRAC, but it removes the bill’s prohibition against conducting one.”

The Trump administration has requested Congress authorize BRAC, saying the Pentagon has about 20 percent excess infrastructure capacity. A BRAC round could save an estimated $2 billion annually by 2027, the administration says.

But Pentagon leaders have for years requested a new round of BRAC as a way to save money, while Congress has repeatedly prohibited it.

Lawmakers worry about the economic effects of the closures on their communities, as well as the upfront costs of a BRAC potentially outweighing future savings.

In its message Wednesday, Heritage Action highlighted Defense Secretary James Mattis’s request for a BRAC, in which he called it “one of the most successful and significant” efficiency measure the Pentagon has undertaken.

In congressional testimony last month, he also put the savings in terms of the hardware it could buy.

“Over a five-year period,” Mattis said, “that would be enough to buy 300 Apache attack helicopters, 120 F-18s Super Hornets or four Virginia-class submarines.”