Letter to the Hon. James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and the Hon. Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services - Schumer, Gillibrand secure more than 30 imperative provisions in national defense bill to vastly improve privatized military housing on bases like West Point; bill, set to pass next week, contains first of its kind provisions, the first step in ensuring our nation's heroes & their families have the safe, hazard-free homes they deserve

Letter

Dear Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member:

As the Committee prepares for consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA), I am writing to respectfully request support for my priorities in the NDAA.

Military Housing Privatization Initiative

Recently, investigative journalism and brave military family members have exposed unacceptable conditions in privatized military housing units. These problems span across the military services and touch installations nationwide. In New York, a recent inspection at West Point found visible mold in 9 of 16 homes visited, and potential for water-intrusion issues in 14 of 16 homes visited. The recent testimony before the Personnel and Readiness Subcommittees and the Full Committee on the Military Housing Privatization Initiative have yielded heartbreaking testimony from military family members and exposed incompetence, negligence, and mismanagement in the Department's oversight of the program. For many of the families I have heard from, servicemembers, spouses, and their children are dealing with long-term health challenges from exposure to mold, pest infestation, contaminated drinking water, lead paint, and other health hazards.

I am grateful to the Committee's leadership and staff in pledging to address the structural failures of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative during this NDAA cycle. In doing so, I believe we must: increase oversight of the program and reevaluate the terms and length of contacts with privatized housing providers, support the creation of a tenants' bill of rights for military families, evaluate and fully address any health impacts to military personnel and their families, and any other relevant fixes identified by the Committee. Additionally, I request a provision to codify the positions of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment in the military services. As Ranking Member of the Personnel Subcommittee, I see the problems in privatized housing as a detriment to recruiting and retention -- and we owe it to our brave servicemembers and their families to implement immediate and lasting fixes.

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