Provision on Closings Also Controversial

In a provision that could have wide implications, language in a war supplemental spending bill that has passed both the House and Senate (HR-1591) would bar the planned closing of Walter Reed’s current facility. Closing the facility and combining it with a nearby Navy medical facility is part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closings Commission package that is largely still in implementation planning and is to continue through 2011. The Bush administration opposes the restriction, arguing that “legislating a specific change to a BRAC Commission recommendation would adversely affect the integrity of the BRAC 2005 process.” Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a leader on defense issues in Congress, said it would encourage members of Congress to try to pick apart the package by carving out other exceptions, “leading to the eventual collapse” of the base closings process. The White House has threatened to veto that bill over other provisions.