Senate readiness panel says no to Defense Department's request for military base closings

WASHINGTON – Another round of military base closings has hit a dead end.

A Senate panel on Tuesday approved legislation rejecting the Defense Department's request to shutter installations and facilities in the United States that are no longer needed as the military branches cut the number of troops in uniform.

The House Armed Services Committee last week also said no to more base closings.

The House and Senate refusals effectively ensure that a final defense policy bill approved by Congress for the 2014 fiscal year won't give the military permission to close bases even as lawmakers clamor for ways to cut the federal deficit.

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the chairwoman of the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee, says the upfront costs of starting a new round of closures are too high.