Va. lawmakers want to cancel carrier move over budget cuts

“Given the fact that the Pentagon is looking at a half
trillion dollar budget cut, it is fiscally irresponsible for the Department of
Defense to pursue its plans to move a carrier from Norfolk to Mayport,” wrote
the four Republicans, Reps. Randy Forbes, Rob Wittman, Bobby Scott and Scott
Rigell.

{mosads}Fights between the Virginia and Florida congressional
delegations have gone on
for
years
since the Pentagon decided it wanted to move one of its East Coast carriers
from Virginia to Florida “to mitigate the risk of a terrorist attack, accident
or natural disaster,” according to the department’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense
Review.

The issue is contentious because the carrier brings jobs and
an economic boost to the region where it is stationed.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.), who has Mayport Naval Station
in his district, said, “Leaders at the highest levels of the Pentagon have
stated from day one that they stand behind the strategic imperative of two
nuclear-capable homeports on the East Coast – one in Norfolk, one in Mayport.

“I couldn’t agree more and will continue my fight to ensure
the necessary resources are available for that work,” Crenshaw said.

Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Jonathan Greenert said in a letter
to Forbes last October that the size of the $487 billion in cuts to the
Pentagon budget in the next decade will cause the Navy to review the move.