Press Releases
Congressman Mark Alford Leads Bipartisan Letter Concerning Living Conditions in Military Barracks
Washington,
September 29, 2023
Washington, DC – Earlier today, as first reported by Fox News, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04) led 12 of his colleagues in a letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense concerning a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) outlining subpar living conditions in certain military barracks.
The letter specifically asks: 1) The GAO report mentioned DoD does not reliably assess conditions of barracks. What is DoD doing to correct these shortfalls? 2) Has DoD considered requiring the same condition of barracks assessment for all the services and the same frequency of assessment among all the services? The following Representatives are co-signers of the letter (12):
Congressman Alford issued the following statement: “The recent Government Accountability Office report outlining poor living conditions in our military barracks is deeply disturbing. On a daily basis, these brave men and women put their lives on the line defending our freedoms; the least we can do is provide them adequate housing. Our soldiers are not asking to live in Taj Mahal. They deserve to live somewhere comfortable and safe that they can call home. What they have now is the exact opposite of that. The Department of Defense must rectify these problems and I will continue to hold them accountable.”
Chairwoman Elise Stefanik said: “As a Senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am appalled at the findings of the GAO report which detail how our brave Servicemembers are being subjected to subpar living conditions in military barracks across the country. I am proudly joining my colleagues to demand that the Department of Defense make safe and clean military housing a top priority. Our men and women in uniform put their country ahead of themselves daily. At the bare minimum, we must provide our Servicemembers with a livable environment to call home. As our military faces an unprecedented recruitment crisis, it is critical that the DOD works to implement the recommendations of the GAO report and prioritizes improving the overall quality of life for our Servicemembers.”
Congressman Mike Gallagher added: “Any American who serves our country does so knowing they won’t be staying at the Ritz, but they rightly expect a basic and safe standard of living. This GAO report reveals this is far from the case in many instances. While the Department of Defense takes pride in the well-maintained golf courses and new EV charging stations at its installations, it has turned a blind eye to the living conditions endured by servicemembers, which can include collapsing ceilings, mold and mildew, and even squatters raiding servicemembers' personal possessions. This is a total disgrace that warrants further investigation. Congress must implement more rigorous oversight into the Pentagon’s prioritizations and work to pass a defense appropriations bill that gives sufficient funding to improve servicemembers’ quality of life.”
Congressman Jim Banks had the following to say: “This administration is spending millions of dollars to house illegal immigrants in hotels while forcing our brave servicemembers to live in squalor. It is outrageous and Republicans will not let this stand.”
Media inquiries for Rep. Alford should be directed to Austin Higginbotham at austin.higginbotham@mail.house.gov.
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