Perhaps the biggest vacuum left by Saxby Chambliss’ departure from the Georgia delegation was in military affairs.
This year for the first time since 1972, the state does not have a seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The state’s new senior senator is trying to mitigate that loss by bringing in Pentagon brass to meet with delegation members who have a hand in military matters and press the case for Georgia’s bases.
The goal: Keep Georgia’s bases essential, in preparation for the next time a Base Realignment and Closure commission rears its head.
Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson has been hosting top officials from all service branches – Georgia boasts Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines installations – to let them know the state’s priorities, while also showing an influence that extends beyond the Armed Services Committee.
Isakson chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Rep. Austin Scott, a Tifton Republican, is on the House Armed Services Committee.
On appropriations, Rep. Tom Graves, a Ranger Republican, is on the defense subcommittee and Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany is the top Democrat on the subcommittee overseeing military construction and VA funding.
“You can’t compensate for 20 years of experience in working with the military,” Isakson said of Chambliss, his close friend.
“What you do is you play the hand that’s dealt you, and the hand we have right now is the five of us have far more reach in terms of military than any one member.”
So far, Army Secretary John McHugh, Air Force Maj. Gen. Lee Levy and Marine Corps Lt. Gen. William Faulkner have come to Isakson’s office to talk about Georgia’s bases.
The delegation used to lean on Chambliss and his longtime relationships with the Pentagon and intelligence community. Scott said it was great to be able to pick up the phone and say: “Hey Saxby, I know you’ve dealt with this issue at Robins” Air Force Base.
Several of the priorities Chambliss fought for remain this year. In a marathon session that lasted until 4 a.m. last week, Scott worked to include them in the National Defense Authorization Act committee markup.
The bill again rejects the Air Force's attempts to retire the A-10 close support aircraft, a big priority for Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta. The committee also boosted the JSTARS fleet, a surveillance aircraft that flies out of Robins.
In another rejection of the Obama administration's wishes, the committee blocked a BRAC. The last time a commission got together to close bases in 2005, Georgia lost four bases but gained 4,000 net jobs as reinforcements arrived from other states.
Still, “I do think we will have a BRAC at some point over the next couple of years,” Scott said.
The third-term lawmaker said productivity gains at Robins have him less worried about losing the local base in a future BRAC. Isakson said the key to making a base “BRAC-proof” is to funnel critical missions its way and ensure the surrounding community supports the base. He rattled through Georgia’s bases, hyping their importance, from Kings Bay housing the Navy’s only Trident nuclear submarines on the East Coast to Fort Benning holding the Army’s infantry school.
“Those missions,” Isakson said, “are all mission critical.”
Talk-radio heat
After delivering his maiden floor speech as a U.S. Senator on Monday, Georgia Republican David Perdue stood up Wednesday to promote a bill giving Congress a say on the Obama administration's emerging Iran nuclear deal.
The carefully negotiated compromise hit the floor last week, where amendments threatened the support of Democrats and the grudging willingness of the president to sign it. Perdue’s speech acknowledged the bill’s shortcomings, but he said the Foreign Relations Committee “did all that we could” to make sure Congress could weigh in.
“If we let the perfect become the enemy of the good, however, and fail to pass this bill, the president will be able to go ahead and implement any and all aspects of a nuclear deal with Iran,” he added.
That meant agreeing to vote down amendments, including one that would establish a precondition for removing sanctions on Iran: A certification that Iran had not supported terrorist acts against Americans anywhere in the world.
Perdue was one of eight Republicans to vote against the amendment (Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson was in favor). This earned him the scorn of conservative radio host Mark Levin, who just about called the GOP octet a bunch of traitors.
“For these eight senators, for these eight men, this will always be on your political epitaph, that you cannot even vote in defense of your own country,” Levin bellowed. “I don’t care if you served before or not, you’re not serving today. That’s clear.”
Vote of the week
The U.S. House voted, 226-197, to pass a budget conference report with the Senate.
Yes: U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, R-Evans; Buddy Carter, R-Pooler; Doug Collins, R-Gainesville; Tom Graves, R-Ranger; Jody Hice, R-Monroe; Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville; Tom Price, R-Roswell; Austin Scott, R-Tifton; Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County; Rob Woodall, R-Lawrenceville.
No: U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany; Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia; David Scott, D-Atlanta.
Not voting: U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta.
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