Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Dent and Ranking Member Bishop for their hard work on behalf of the 57,000 veterans in my district and on behalf of veterans and servicemembers across the country.

I am also grateful for the support of Congressmen MacArthur, Hurd, and Norcross in offering this bipartisan amendment, one which would simply prohibit any funds made available in this act from being used to propose or execute a new or additional round of BRAC.

Mr. Chairman, I am honored to represent the Fourth Congressional District of Texas, home to the Red River Army Depot. The depot has supported the warfighters since 1941. Although the depot community has weathered many changes over the years, their commitment to mission remains the same. It is reflected on the placard placed in each of the vehicles there which reads, ``We build it as if our lives depend on it. Theirs do.''

The Red River Army Depot is a vital job creator in northeast Texas, and it is a critical component of our national defense.

Mr. Chairman, in this fiscal environment, we need to be careful stewards of taxpayer dollars and focus our limited resources on addressing critical national security objectives and military readiness. Having another round of BRAC won't help us achieve this goal.

In fact, the Government Accountability Office reports that the last round of BRAC in 2005 cost the American taxpayers $35.1 billion, which was 67 percent more than the original cost estimate.

At the same time, the expected savings from the last round of BRAC were 73 percent less than was advertised. Starting another round of BRAC would weaken our capabilities and increase our vulnerability in the face of the critical threats facing our Nation.

I would like to thank my colleagues who have supported this amendment.

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