WASHINGTON -
One of
the House of Representative's most conservative lawmakers and one of the
Senate's most liberal lawmakers are working together. Congressman Jim Jordan
and Senator Sherrod Brown are fighting back against Army cuts that threaten to
shut down the General Dynamics plant in Lima.
The Army wants to stop U.S.
tank production for the first time since World War Two.
"It would
be terrible for the community," said Senator Sherrod Brown.
The Lima plant is the only
place in the nation where workers build battle tanks. Nearly 1,000
high paying manufacturing jobs are on the line. The Army says it can't keep
buying more tanks that the country doesn't need and can't afford, so it wants
to stop work on tanks from 2014 to 2017.
"It would
not be good," said Congressman Jim Jordan.
This is the second year in a row the military tried
to slash funding for the tanks.
The Pentagon
agreed to cut spending by $487 billion over the next decade. There could be$500
billion more in defense cuts if Congress can't come up with a deficit plan by
the end of the year.
Some lawmakers want to restore the money for the tanks in
a defense spending bill working its way through Congress, but the President
already threatened to veto that bill.
"Listen
to the grey heads in the House and Senate who have done this for a long time
for reasons of security and technology," Senator Brown said.
The plant
is in Congressman Jim Jordan's district. He argues keeping the plant open is
about our military safety.
"This is
for national defense, the one area where we are supposed to spend your money,"
said Jordan. "It's
important that the Pentagon understand the cost to shut this down."
General Dynamics Corporation, the company that operates
the plant, says shutting it down then restarting it would cost more money than
it saves. The army disagrees and thinks the plant could stay open without army
orders by building tanks for foreign countries like Saudi
Arabia and Egypt.
Senator Rob Portman already pitched the
plant during a meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister.
"We
have a lot of allies in both parties in the House and Senate I think the
Department of Defense is wrong on this one," said Brown.
One
Senate source told Bureau Chief Jacqueline Policastro that a continuing
resolution would take care of the funding until the 2013 numbers are set.
That would
extend the funding levels established in 2012, which were good for the plant.
Some
Senate leaders are hinting the final appropriations bills are likely to be
handled in the lame-duck session, after the election.
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