Say active duty military personnel & retirees deserve access to services after Naval Air Station closes
 
In their most recent effort to keep a Navy Commissary and Exchange presence in the Midcoast area, Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree introduced a bill that would require the Department of Defense to maintain those services after the Brunswick Naval Air Station closes.

“There will be thousands of active duty personnel and retirees who will need access to these facilities,” said Michaud.  “Our congressional delegation is united in our work to protect their continued access to the commissary and exchange.”
 
“The fact that Naval Air Station Brunswick has been selected for closure is no excuse for these heroes to go without the same programs their counterparts across the globe depend on,” Pingree said.  “Many of the retired service members in the Midcoast relocated to the area specifically for the commissary and exchange programs, we must not abandon them now during these difficult economic times.”
 
Maine’s Congressional Delegation has been actively pressuring the Department of Defense to maintain Commissary and Exchange services in the area and have discussed the issue numerous times with top DOD officials, including the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy.
 
Commissaries provide discounted groceries and an Exchange is similar to a low-cost department store.