Cassidy Urges Army to Avoid Fort Polk Cuts

Press Release

Today, Congressman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) sent a letter to U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh urging him to avoid making further cuts to Fort Polk in the Department of the Army's Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment. Dr. Cassidy's request is one of many during a public comment period through August 25th, due to a recent report that detailed the potential cuts.

Fort Polk is the largest non-state employer in Louisiana. As a whole, the military's annual economic impact to the Louisiana economy is more than $8 billion, including $2 billion from Fort Polk alone. In addition, more than 40 percent of students in Vernon Parish have one or both parents serving at Fort Polk.

Recently, Dr. Cassidy visited Fort Polk to meet with troops, senior base officials and tour the Bayne-Jones Army Hospital.

Dr. Cassidy released the following statement:

"Fort Polk matters a great deal to Louisiana families. As one of our largest employers, force reductions and cuts directly impact our economy, our schools and our veterans' care. It is in our military's best interest to strengthen the partnership between the Army and our community."

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