European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 30,1990 the stars and stripes page3 extra construction funding sought in 1991 mostly to close bases by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon s proposed military construction budget for 1991 is slightly big Ger than this years mostly because of the Cost or closing bases. The increase from $5.3 billion to $5.6 billion is almost an aberration said Pentagon comptrollers an o Keefe. It will Cost an additional s900 million to comply with the recommendations of the base closure commission last year he said. Without that $900 million the construction pack age is about 6 percent less than i990 a adjusted Tor inflation he said. The budget also includes $3.5 million for construction of 1.300 units of family housing bringing the total military construction request to $9.1 Bil lion. This year s budget provides s3.2 billion for family housing. O Keefe said about $700 million of the military construction request is associated with Quality of life projects. Relatively few of them Are overseas which May be a defense department recognition of the America first mood of Congress in the past two years regarding military construction. Lawmakers have deferred or cancelled dozens of proposed overseas projects and shifted the Money to upgrade Domestic bases instead citing the Uncertain future of . Forces overseas. Less than half a billion dollars total is for overseas construction. The Only overseas locations with new family housing construction requests arc Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and Kcf Lavik Iceland. Defense department officials said the Quality of life for  in Europe has not been nun to any great degree by the increasing attention paid to Domestic bases by Congress. There s a construction backlog everywhere said an official who requested anonymity. There s Al ways work to be done. Congress just has a different  he said the services Are making up for the Lack of family housing Money by leasing units instead. The Quality of life construction projects overseas either new facilities or remodelling and expansion in the 1991 budget proposal include an education Center and a Library in Hohenfels West Germany. Physical fitness centers at Hohenfels and bit Burg a. West Germany Kunsan a South Korea Raf Alconbury and Raf Mildenhall. United King Dom. A Chapel at Vilseck West Germany. Schools at Darmstadt Frankfurt Idar Obj Stcin Kaiserslautern Lan Stuhl Mannheim a Ellingen and Ramstein a West Germany. Dispensaries medical clinics and dental clinics at Vincnza Italy Camp Casey South Korea Synop Turkey Raf Edzell and Raf Lanark United King Dom Giessen and Nurnberg West Germany. Demour crts predict showdown Over Bush s budget Washington a president Bush s $1.23 trillion budget Drew a sceptical response from several con Gressional democrats on monday. One senator described it As another fraud and a House Leader called for scaling Back the president s defense proposals. While democrats who control both houses of Congress were careful not to dismiss the budget out of hand in past years they d often characterized Reagan administration budgets As dead on arrival they predicted a brutal debate Over spending priorities. They continue to Jimmy the Fig  sen. Ernest Hollings . Anda High ranking member of the Senate budget committee said of the Bush proposal. It s another  i think it s a stand Pat budget. Idon t think it s a budget that really meets our needs said House majority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri. House speaker Thomas Foley of Washington state emerged from a Whitehouse meeting and immediately predicted a larger reduction in defense spending than Bush has proposed. There la be a debate about defense there s no question about that said Foley noting the current changes under Way in Eastern Europe that would allow the United states to scale Back its military presence. Bush s budget for fiscal 1991 slow growth in military spending and Dic tates no general tax increase As part of a plan to Cut the Federal budget deficit by half. The defense budget is a suggested $295.1 billion a decrease of 2.6 percent from this year s spending level after inflation is taken into account. Sen. James Sasser d-tenn., chair Man of the Senate budget committee said the budget is a listen to what i say and forget what i do  he said the figures translated into huge fiscal problems ahead without a change in course. The Low aspirations of this document May put a very Low ceiling on what we can expect to accomplish with the deficit this year he said. Bush s budget projects a 1991 deficit of $63.1 billion far below this year s estimated $123.8 billion deficit. Bush said his plan would balance the budget by 1993, the same year that a balanced budget is required under the Gramm Rudman Law on reducing the deficit. Hollings said the administration s 1991 figures had a starting line some $20 Bil lion ahead of where they really  the House democratic whip rep. William Gray of Pennsylvania said he would t Call the budget dead on Arri Val but we be got to take a closer look at the specifics. It s got to be looked at. It s got to be  he questioned Bush s underlying eco nomic assumptions saying they were quite Rosy at a time when All the indicators indicate that we re not going Mohave that kind of growth interest inflation that the administration is  moreover Gray said some of the ways Bush planned to raise Money such As collecting user fees from boat ers were simply taxes on working class americans that had been rejected by Congress in the past. Sen. Daniel p. Moynihan d-n.y., who has generated intense controversy in Congress by proposing a $62 billion Cul in social Security taxes this year and next said Bush wants to balance the budget in 1993, the year after the next presidential election. It is Well known that the Federal budget is always in balance three years from now never now Moynihan said. Rep. Bob Michel r-i11., the House minority Leader said the democrats obviously had a Little bit different idea of where the priorities ought to  budget authority by title research a if Mary development construction $38.0 $5.6 family housing $3.5 total $295.1 current billions of dollars proposed cuts procurement $77.9 military personnel $79.0 source dept. Of defense if operation & maintenance $90.1 38,000 uniformed troops 2 army divisions 2 battleships 2 nuclear cruisers 8 nuclear submarines m1 tank Apache helicopter Maverick missile proposed increases in current spending $1.1 billion for Star wars $1 billion for peacekeeper missiles $1.2 billion for drug interdiction is Susan Harris 3.5% raise Means wider Gap in pay of gis civilians by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington service members will fall further behind the civilian work Force and not keep up with inflation under the 3. Percent pay raise proposed in the fiscal 1991 defense budget. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney had said previously that he wanted a 4.6 percent increase to shrink the Gap Between military and civilian pay. However that resolve gave Way to pressure from Richard Daiman the director of the office of management and budget officials said. Current pay is running about 11 percent be Hind the private sector a senior Pentagon official said. Another official said the raise in the pro posed $295.1 billion budget would Widen that Gap. Service members buying Power also is expected to decline. Inflation is forecast to be at least 4 percent next year. Other military compensation such As re enlistment bonuses and special pay for critical skills would not change under the plan. Spending for military personnel accounts for $79 billion of the budget $500 million More than last year. The effect of a pay raise on the budget is partially offset by proposals to trim troop strength by 38,000, mostly in the army and air Force the senior official said. One army official expressed concern that the Low pay raise might harm the services ability to attract and retain Quality personnel. But we think the 3.5 percent is a Good number for next year he said