Congressmen Sorensen Confronts Army Secretary on Job Cuts at the Rock Island Arsenal During House Armed Services Committee Hearing
Congressman Sorensen to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll: “We Can’t Afford for Expertise to be Lost [at the Rock Island Arsenal], [...] Where We Have Always Bolstered Our Munition Production”
Congressmen Eric Sorensen (IL-17) confronted U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll about the proposed job cuts at the Rock Island Arsenal during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Congressman Sorensen expressed concerns that cuts at the Arsenal would damage our nation’s military readiness and demanded answers from Secretary Driscoll on the impact cuts would have on our national security.
“I’m proud to stand up in Washington D.C. for the hardworking men and women at the Rock Island Arsenal who help to protect our national security and ensure our military’s readiness across the globe,” said Congressman Sorensen. “I took my concerns about job cuts at the Arsenal straight to the Army Secretary so we can get a clear picture of the impact this will have on my neighbors. Any decisions about the future of the Arsenal needs to be transparently discussed and well thought out because the work there is too important for our country.”
During the hearing, Secretary Driscoll also acknowledged to Congressman Sorensen that the Rock Island Arsenal is the “gem in the assets and the tools that we have.”
You can watch the full exchange with Secretary Driscoll HERE.
As a new member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Sorensen has leveraged his position to strongly advocate for the Rock Island Arsenal. He led a bipartisan effort with Senators Chuck Grassley, Dick Durbin, and Tammy Duckworth to ensure the Department of Defense would not be jeopardizing our country’s military readiness with large job cuts. Earlier this year, he introduced the Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act, which would ensure the Rock Island Arsenal can remain competitive, create good-paying jobs, and sustain the regional economy.