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Senate OKs military construction compromiseWASHINGTON lt;AP) - The Senate on Friday approved an $8.5 billion military construction bill that slashes President Bush s re-quest for bases overseas but addsmillions of dollars for domestic pro jets.By voice vote, the Senate adopted the legislation and sent it to the president for his signature.The bill cuts military construction spending in fiscal 1990 by $461 million from what was spent during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 and is $65 million below what Bush wanted to spend this year.“1 think we’ve seen the peak of military construction spending for many years to come,” said Sen. James Sasser, D-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on military construction. “Next year may be even smaller than the bill here today. ”The bill eliminates $40.8 million Bush proposed for dormitories, storage facilities and other construction in the Philippines, $15 million for airfield improvements in Honduras and $14.4 million for an aircraft parking extension and other improvements at U.S. bases in Panama.It also reduces Bush s request for Britain from $108 mililion to $20 million and the president’s budget for NATO infrastructure from $501 million to $424 million.“Funding for overseas will continue to be a low priority until our allies substantially improve their contribution to their defense,” Sasser said. . 4Late Thursday, the House approved the legislation by voicevote. The bill was the product of House and Senate negotiators working on separately passed bills.In the House, the only controversy focused on an effort by Reps. Glenn Anderson, D-Calif., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., to stop a land swap deal between the Navy and the state of Hawaii to relocate the home port of thebattleship USS Missouri from Long Beach to Pearl Harbor.“This is going to eat up millions and millions of dollars that could be used by the Navy and for military housing to duplicate a facility that already exists,” Rohrabacher said.But the House accepted the land swap on an overwhelming voice vote after opponents called the effort to stop it a “sneak attack” on a military base closing and relocation initiative approved earlier.“This is an attempt to stop thebase closure bill, no doubt about it,” said Rep. Bill Hefner, D-N.C., chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on military construction.The bill calls for the Navy to sell 120 acres on Oahu to the state, which will build a causeway leading to Ford Island. The island now is accessible only by ferry.The overall legislation includes $4.8 billion for military construction, $3.2 billion for family housing and $500 million to begin closing 86 U.S. bases and scaling back five others.It provides $105 million the administration requested for a rail-garrison basing system for the MX multiple-warhead, nuclear missile at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.Also included is $11 million for the military construction aspect of Star Wars and $94 million for construction of bases for the B-2 stealth bomber. The total for basing the B-2 bomber is $35 million less than the administration requested.The legislation increases spending on military facilities in Tennessee and North Carolina, home states of the chairmen of the Senate and House Appropriations subcommittees on military construction.The administration requested $87.3 million for the MemphisNaval Air Station, Army National Guard armories and other facilities in Tennessee. House and Senate conferees put in $109.2 million for Sasser’s home state.In North Carolina, the administration proposed $108 million for Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and other installations. But Hefner’s home state is slated to receive $133.8 million.Significant increases also were made in the military construction budgets of California and Iowa, the home states of the subcommittees’ ranking Republicans, Rep. Bill Lowery of California and Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa.West Virginia, home state of Democratic Sen Robert Byrd, chairman of the full Senate Ap propriations Committee, will get $21.5 million, while the administration sought $4.5 million.Mississippi, home state of Rep. Jamie Whitten, the Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, gets $49.7 million, while Bush requested only $20 million.When they askWHO’S YOUR INSURANCE AGENT?!!tSayUNITED INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.You can’t predict the unexpected. But you can protect against Its consequences, with properly planned Insurance We can help prevent a costly outcome, with tiomeown-»rs and auto coverage that provides solid ,'roteeUon and complete peaeeol I’jJnd Cali usCBN bids for Bakker's network763-6812Richard Connell John Singleton535 N. 5th—P.O. BoxWE’RE THE ANSWER!
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Sun, Oct 29, 1989
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 26 Aug 2021
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