This week I along with other members of the House Armed Services met to receive testimony from the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the service chiefs on the President's Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Budget. Additionally, the House approved Fiscal Year 2009 supplemental funding for our troops serving overseas in the Global War on Terror, and we heard word back on the final location of CYBER Command from the U.S. Air Force.
First, during the hearing on Defense Department funding for 2010, I asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates about the decision to go ahead with dredging at the Mayport Naval Station at a cost of $75 million, even though the decision on East Coast porting of an aircraft carrier has been postponed until after the Quadrennial Defense Review in 2010. While Mr. Gates outlined the need for a second nuclear-capable facility in the East Coast, I do not believe that the costs associated with dredging or infrastructure improvements for a duplicative facility are consistent with a budget that already cuts and underfunds vital defense programs. Until a final decision is made, I will continue to use every opportunity to advocate the importance of maintaining the carrier presence in Virginia on behalf of the First District.
On Thursday, the House passed the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009, by a vote of 368-60 which provides $96.7 billion in emergency supplemental funding for the continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Specifically, it dedicates $81.3 billion for the ongoing war and intelligence operations and $15.4 billion for military construction and foreign assistance.
More importantly, during the Committee markup of the legislation, the $80 million requested by the President for the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility was removed. As I stated in my update two weeks ago, I will continue to reject the notion of bringing dangerous terrorists to the Commonwealth or anywhere in the U.S. as a solution to closing Guantanamo.
Next, on Thursday evening I was disappointed to learn that the Air Force did not select Langley Air Force Base as the location for the new CYBER Command, which is our nation's line of defense against an electronic Pearl Harbor. Over this past year I have worked across the aisle in concert with the Hampton Roads Congressional delegation to highlight Langley Air Force Base's strategic advantage as a location for this Command. Rest assured, I will continue to promote the Hampton Roads region and the First District as an area with the infrastructure and manpower to support future Department of Defense efforts.
Additionally, in my previous meeting with the Secretary of the Air Force, he assured me that in no way are any of the current Langley facilities or installations at risk if CYBER Command were to be located elsewhere around the country. I will be sure to hold him to his word to keep jobs at Langley and to ensure that Hampton Roads continues to be a region vital to our National defense. I am pleased to be a member of the Armed Services Committee and the ability it lends me to serve as an ambassador for our region's role in the defense of our Nation.
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He was elected to his first full term in November 2008 and serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
