Ranking Member Houlahan Opening Statement for QoL Hearing: "An Update on Unaccompanied Military Housing and the Military Housing Privatization Initiative"

Statement

"Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to welcome our witnesses today and thank them in advance for their testimonies. I also want to take a moment and acknowledge the historic nature of today -- the first public hearing of the House Armed Services Committee Quality-of-Life Panel. I appreciate the partnership and manner with which we've progressed so far, so thank you again to my dear friend and fellow Air Force veteran, Rep. Don Bacon.

Today's discussion is extremely timely given the release of last week's GAO report on the state of base housing across military installations. To be frank, the details and pictures were difficult to stomach. Raw sewage, bed bugs, mold, and more... -- it's unacceptable.

I'm proud of the historically bipartisan nature of this panel, so I also would be remiss if I didn't share the broad, bipartisan concerns about the negative impact of a potential government shutdown. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: a government shutdown has grave impacts on the quality of life for our service members and their families.

If we don't pay our service members on time, we can't be surprised when morale, recruitment, and retention suffer. I appreciate the efforts of my fellow Quality of Life Panel members to ensure our service members can continue to be paid.

While a government shutdown would have far-reaching implications, today, we are here to talk about military housing. As someone who was both a military child and later started my own family while serving in the Air Force, I've lived at dozens of military installations across the country and across the world.

As a young military child, I was focused on studying for school, making new friends, and spending time with my family. I didn't think about the plumbing in my house, the water that I drank, or the possible dangers of sleeping at home.

And as an Air Force Captain, my focus was squarely on service to my country and on the well-being of my family.

That's exactly what our service members should be focused on: their mission -- not whether or not their homes are safe.

Today we're here, many of us veterans ourselves, to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing our Defense Department and all-volunteer force.

Housing security and safety remain a top quality of life concern for our service members and thus, a top concern for our national security.

Heartbreaking personal testimony from one service member details the dire conditions of their military privatized housing experience: mold, broken A/C, water leaks, lack of communication, and dismissed concerns. They admitted that the only reason they continued to reside on base was not because they felt safe or valued by the housing management company but because they would be otherwise unable to afford off-base housing given the current BAH based on their rank and dependents.

Each time a story like this is shared, the response seems to be "we experienced the same issue." This comes from the same people we are asking to put their lives on the line for us.

To be sure, the report should reignite our efforts, but we have been working on this issue for years.

Over the last several years, our colleagues in the Readiness subcommittee have been heavily engaged in oversight of the privatized military family housing program. Through several formal committee events and numerous meetings with families, housing advocacy groups, private partners, and Department of Defense personnel, we have worked to improve the quality of housing provided to our service members and their families; however, I believe there's still more work to be done.

Again, thank you to the witnesses and Mr. Bacon for this hearing. I yield the balance of my time."

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