With the House and Senate both banning congressional earmarks in fiscal 2011 and 2012, community-military partnering organizations face a formidable barrier in obtaining funding for military construction projects to support their local installations. The $100 million allocated by Congress over the past 15 years for projects at Vance Air Force Base in north central Oklahoma all has resulted from the actions of congressional representatives, reports the Enid News and Eagle.
Milcon projects requested by lawmakers are expected to be included in the congressional ban even though in the past they have been subjected to a stringent vetting process before either the House or Senate appropriations committees include them in an annual spending bill. As a result, groups such as the Vance Development Authority and the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission, along with the state’s congressional delegation, will need to intensify their efforts to gain funding for much-needed projects, the paper said.
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