Texas lawmakers to Army: Don’t cut San Antonio force

Five members of the Texas House delegation urged Army officials to spare force reductions at military centers in San Antonio.

In a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno, Texas Reps. Pete Gallego (D), Joaquín Castro (D), Lloyd Doggett (D), Henry Cuellar (D) and Lamar Smith (R) said that cuts due to sequestration would harm the region’s economy. 

{mosads}The lawmakers noted that more than 189,000 jobs in San Antonio are related to military presence, and Defense Department contracts with local businesses are valued at about $4 billion. Camp Bullis and Fort Sam Houston, which house four Army major commands, are located in San Antonio.

“While we understand that every military community in the nation must prepare for some level of reductions, cuts should not occur where the Army already has efficiencies from a large presence,” they wrote.

The Texas lawmakers said San Antonio’s dependence on the military had earned it a moniker of “Military City, USA.”

“San Antonio’s reputation as Military City, USA is well-deserved,” they wrote. “We strongly encourage Army leadership to consider the negative community and socioeconomic impacts of force reductions in San Antonio.”