Closing Recommendations Just Ahead

The commission considering Defense Department base closings has a deadline of sending a recommended package September 8—although the recommendation could come out sooner than that–to President Bush, who has indicated he will approve the package. If he does, the recommendations will become final unless overridden by Congress within 45 legislative days. The actual closings and realignments would be a multi-year process and would result in significant disruptions, including potential job relocations for tens of thousands of civilian employees, as well as job losses for many thousands.