Sen. Toomey Cosponsors Amendment Forcing Air Force To Justify Planned 911th Closure
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) has cosponsored a bipartisan amendment that would require the Air Force to justify to Congress its plan to close the Pittsburgh-based 911th Airlift Wing.
The Air Force's 911th closure notice to Congress was not accompanied by any analysis to justify its intention to close the unit.
"The Air Force has not provided Congress with an analysis to explain why the 911th Airlift Wing has been singled out for closure. We must get answers about how the closing of the 911th could impact our long-term military preparedness before this closure process goes any further," Sen. Toomey said.
This amendment would require the Defense Department to provide justification to Congress and an evaluation of the costs and benefits and the local economic, environmental, strategic and operational consequences.
It would also require 90 days to pass before the DoD could take irrevocable actions to close a base, thus giving Congress time to review the data.
The amendment was introduced by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and is also cosponsored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
