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$1 Million for Youngstown Air Base in Defense Bill
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-17, Ohio, announced late Thursday that the fiscal year 2005 Defense Authorization Bill includes $954,000 to plan and design housing facilities for reservists at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township.Ryan, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, says he worked with the committee's chairman, Duncan Hunter (R-Cal.) and its ranking member, Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) to get the funding included in the Defense Authorization Bill. The money would be used for the planning and design of a 131-room lodging facility for reservists. Because it is designated for "planning and design," no specific appropriation is needed, Ryan said."Federal support for the Youngstown Air Base is a key element of protecting it during the next round of base closings," said Ryan. "This money will not only help house our reservists but help safeguard an important economic engine that contributes nearly $100 million a year into our local economy. I intend to keep working to bring back more federal dollars" for the base.The Defense Department spending bill also includes an amendment that would postpone the next round of base closings until 2007, reimburse soldiers who purchased their own body armor, and require the federal government to support domestic manufacturers. The likelihood of postponing base closings does not appear to be strong following a vote earlier this week in the U.S. Senate to proceed with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, scheduled to be completed next year. READ STORY The provision in the FY2005 Defense Authorization Bill that would support domestic manufacturing companies such as RMI Titanium in Niles was first offered by Rep. Ryan for inclusion in last year's Defense Authorization Bill. That language was accepted in the House-passed spending bill for fiscal 2004, but not included in the final House-Senate Conference report. Similar language was incorporated into a bill recently introduced by U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) an inserted into this year's Defense Authorization Bill. The provision recognizes that certain domestic manufacturing capabilities are so critical to the nation's military that some products must be produced in the Unites States. However, in recent years, the Department of Defense has routinely waived the domestic manufacturing requirement -- allowing contractors to purchase products and materials from offshore suppliers, Ryan said. The new language would require the Department of Defense to notify Congress and the public 15 days prior to waiving the provisions of the Berry Amendment. "