Three members of the U.S. Congress representing the Coastal Bend have joined to introduce a bill to improve funding transparency for installations like the Corpus Christi Army Depot.
U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud, Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and Sen. John Fetterman introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Depot Data Transparency Act. Cloud, Cornyn and Gonzalez all represent the Coastal Bend. Fetterman is from Pennsylvania.
Over the past decade, the civilian workforce and workload at the Corpus Christi Army Depot has shrunk, alarming community and military leaders concerned about the impact on the local economy, as well as national defense and strategic resiliency.
“Over the past decade, Corpus Christi Army Depot’s highly-trained civilian workforce
has dropped by thousands due to the Army’s increasing reliance on private companies for helicopter repair work,” Gonzalez said in a news release. “This is a federal issue hurting depots across the country and requires a federal solution; it starts with bringing greater transparency to the Army’s maintenance and overhaul schedule.
“Our bill builds on bipartisan language we secured in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act, and would ensure we protect South Texas’s military competitiveness and the thousands of workers it employs.”
If made law, the Depot Data Transparency Act would require the U.S. Department of Defense to submit annual reports for military installations detailing how maintenance and repair work is divided between private companies and military depots.
Another bill, the DEPOTS Act, would authorize the U.S. secretary of defense to use surpluses to write off internal Department of Defense debts affecting depots because of planned government work that has been canceled. This would not apply to payments owed to commercial contractors.
“Texas’ two extraordinary Organic Industrial Base sites, the Corpus Christi and Red River Army Depots, make immeasurable, ongoing contributions to our nation’s defense readiness, from remanufacturing and sustaining rotary-wing aircraft to remanufacturing and overhauling tactical wheeled vehicles,” Cornyn said in a news release. “We must provide budgetary flexibility so they are not hampered by financial losses from cancelled government work.”
"The DEPOTS Act is a commonsense flexibility for a real problem,” Cloud said in a news release. “Depots shouldn't face the adverse effects alone due to mission changes by the Department of War and Congress. Corpus Christi Army Depot does critical work keeping our service members' aircraft safe and reliable, and this practical reform keeps our Army’s and the nation's rotary aircraft operational and, in the fight.”
Cornyn and Gonzalez visited the Corpus Christi Army Depot in March with Army Under Secretary Mike Obadal, local leaders and a representative from Cloud's office.
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Congress members introduce bills to support Corpus Christi Army Depot
