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Defense Lobbyists Swarm To Fight Back Against Base Closures

Lobbyists specializing in Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) anticipate a flood of business when the White House lays out its defense budget cuts in its official budget request to Congress on February 13. Under BRAC, a panel of nine commissioners will be tasked with recommending which bases should be closed. But Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (D-CA), chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, declared that he would fight back against a Pentagon request for domestic base closures. McKeon, the top congressional recipient of defense industry campaign contributions, told an audience on Wednesday that if faced with a request to close bases, he would “Kill it.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said lawmakers will have to find other ways to make necessary military spending cuts if defense infrastructure isn’t scaled back.

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