Improving Military Housing

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the need for further transparency and accountability in military housing.

The most critical asset in the defense of our Nation are the men and women who choose to serve. Therefore, our personnel and families deserve to have their most basic needs addressed, and this starts with housing.

For several years now, military housing has been plagued with widespread complaints of neglect, unsafe conditions, and careless repairs.

Recently, I introduced the Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act, which would expand the assessment tool created in the 2020 NDAA to include all military housing, as well as enhancing the reporting requirements to ensure accountability.

As an Army dad, I know firsthand the challenges our servicemen and women face when finding safe and comfortable housing.

They should feel confident if an issue arises it will be resolved and in a timely manner. This bipartisan bill is a step in the right direction and will improve transparency and oversight with the goal of fixing a system that has serious issues.

Given the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in our Armed Forces, ensuring adequate housing for servicemembers and their families is an important and necessary part of the solution.

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