"Roberts pushes to restore funding to Kansas military bases" by Congressional Briefing / LJWorld.com

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Roberts pushes to restore funding to Kansas military bases

Here are today's headlines from the Kansas congressional delegation:Sen. Pat Roberts (R)[(AP) Pat Roberts urges Senate to restore military funding:][1] Sen. Pat Roberts on Wednesday urged Democratic leaders to restore $3.1 billion in budget cuts that could threaten key projects at Kansas military bases. The House voted last week to strip the money from a massive spending measure that funds the government for the rest of the fiscal year. The money, which was meant to put the 2005 base closing law in place, included more than $350 million in construction projects for Fort Riley to deal with the influx of soldiers returning from Iraq. "Kansas won significant increases in personnel and missions as a result of BRAC, and now the troops and their families are coming to work on the missions and much of the key funding is at risk," said Roberts, R-Kan.. "That's just not right."Rep. Nancy Boyda (D) ![][2][(Congress Daily)Defense officials share concerns on readiness of U.S.-based forces:][3] Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace acknowledged Wednesday that non-deployed U.S. forces are not sufficiently equipped, echoing similar concerns aired recently by Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker and Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the Pentagon's National Guard Bureau. "No, ma'am," Pace told the House Armed Services Committee in response to a question from Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kansas, on whether he is satisfied with the readiness levels of military units based in the United States. But Pace emphasized that the $716.5 billion in new defense spending requested Monday would help boost the readiness levels of these non-deployed units, which have left vehicles and other gear behind in Iraq and Afghanistan.Rep. Jerry Moran (R) ![][4][(Marysville Advocate) Insurance, ag policy, Iraq war occupy Congress:][5] Agriculture policy, health care, small business, transportation, education and the war in Iraq are likely to be important issues in the session of Congress that has just begun, Congressman Jerry Moran, Hays Republican, told a group of 15 county residents who met with him at his listening tour stop in Blue Rapids Jan. 25. The comments and questions he received also reflected those concerns. [1]: http://www.hutchnews.com/news/regional/stories/Roberts020807.shtml [2]: http://ljworld.com/specials/election04/primary/boyda.jpg [3]: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0207/020707cdpm1.htm [4]: http://ljworld.com/specials/kudole/bios/art/moran.jpg [5]: http://www.mvleadvocate.com/web/isite.dll?1170781303421

By Joel Mathis

February 8, 2007

Congressional Briefing