U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D) brought his economic tour to Southern Maryland Monday with stops in Waldorf, Hollywood and La Plata. He held a Foreclosure Roundtable at the Waldorf West Library, met with members of the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance and Patuxent Partnership at Smartronix and then held a College Affordability Roundtable at the College of Southern Maryland, La Plata campus.
Navy Alliance President Glen Ives noted at the Smartronix meeting that Sen. Cardin had just gotten back from a trip to the Ukraine and Croatia and yet after that long trip he came down to Southern Maryland anyway.
Cardin said he was told in those two countries how important they feel America’s military presence is to their safety. “There is a real fear in smaller countries” about Russia and China expansionism, the senator said. “The United States is prepared to make sure that does not happen,” he promised.
Cardin noted that Congress is struggling with the defense budget. “The budget is inadequate,” he has concluded. He said the mission at Pax River is strong. “As we look to the future we want to make sure we are adequately prepared.”
In the presentation to the senator by the two organizations, the message was to protect what Pax River already has and prepare the base and the community for a re-purposing in the future. The big agenda items on the protection side are the Eastern Shore wind turbine issue and bracing for any future Base Realignment and Closure (*BRAC) activities.
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