WASHINGTON — Two powerful Democrats, seeking to calm a congressional uproar over President Bush's proposal to close or realign more than 200 military bases, moved Tuesday to take politics out of the process.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Les Aspin (D-Wis.) introduced legislation to revive a bipartisan selection commission that was responsible last year for the relatively bloodless closure of 86 bases.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) strongly backed the move as Democrats scrambled to counter what they see as a clever ploy by Bush to head off deep cuts in the massive defense budget.
Aspin, saying "all hell has broken loose" in Congress over the military base issue, charged that Bush can use "candidates" on his list as bargaining chips in budget battles and veto fights.
"This puts a political gun to the head" of any lawmaker who has a targeted base in his state or district, the congressman declared at a news conference.
Aspin noted that Bush's proposed base cuts affect four times as many Democratic House districts as Republican. Democrats have majorities in both houses of Congress and are much more disposed than Republicans to slash defense spending. Thus, Democratic leaders see the Administration as using its military base reduction list to put potential Democratic budget-slashers on the defensive.
In an interview, Nunn said he had suggested to Defense Secretary Dick Cheney a month or two ago that the bipartisan commission be revived to recommend a new round of base closures in light of the diminishing Soviet military threat.
But Cheney rejected the idea.
"It is much more complicated now because the package (of proposed base cuts) is already out there and everybody knows whose ox is about to get gored," Nunn said.
The senator, regarded as Congress' most influential member on military matters, said he also had suggested to Cheney that legislation be enacted to streamline the process of reviewing proposed base closings for environmental and economic impacts.
Cheney accepted that suggestion and Bush made it part of the fiscal 1991 budget that he sent to Congress on Monday.
Aspin said Congress might be willing to go along with the streamlining legislation if the Administration agrees to let the bipartisan commission run the base selection process. He conceded that bases need to be closed or realigned.
