The Buffalo Pilot: A Ford Stevens Military-Aviation Thriller (Book 3) by Lawrence Colby

Author:Lawrence Colby [Colby, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mach278 LLC Books
Published: 2020-08-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Scott Matthews, BRAC Commissioner, stood in front of the podium, standard blue suit and red tie, adjusted the microphone, and glanced down at the staff’s prepared remarks. The large hearing room could fit hundreds of people, yet today’s small press briefing was nowhere near capacity. Usually reserved for large hearings, the House Caucus Room would have to do.

Catching sight of the press all facing him, he swallowed and waited for the cue from his staff. After all, this was D.C., and had more theater than Broadway. He waited until he was given the nod and started his prepared statement, followed by questions.

“Good morning. I have some opening statements, then I’ll take most of the questions this morning. As you are aware, the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act provides the basic framework for the transfer and disposal of military installations closed during the base realignment and closure, or BRAC, process. We pronounce the acronym as ‘brack.’ Nine of us will act as independent panel members appointed by the president. This panel will evaluate the base list by taking testimony from interested parties and paying visits to the affected bases. The BRAC Commission has added bases to the list, and we will address specifics in an upcoming hearing. The commission met its deadline and provided the list earlier for evaluation to the president. You can expect a series of public hearings, DoD supplied data, and comments from the public.”

Click. Click. Click. Click. The shutters from the cameras were dominating the room, nearly overwhelming. Between this and the bright lights, it could be a tough go for anyone standing up there. Luckily, Scott was a former congressman and was used to the cameras.

Chairman Matthews turned to one of the panel members and asked something, then turned back to the podium. A pro, he never skipped a beat. It was a wonder how he wasn’t reelected, but thanks to friends in high places, he was able to get this great two-year paid gig running BRAC.

“Just confirmed C-SPAN will cover the live hearings. Okay, I’ll take questions.”

Click. Click. Click. Click. More photos from the press were heard.

The reporters were all shouting questions at him, and the commissioner pointed to a woman in the front row.

“Mr. Matthews, Alice from the News. Can you share the latest additions to the list of bases for consideration to be closed?”

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