Military to face SASC over housing

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) will reopen its investigation into substandard military housing March 7 with follow-on testimony from civilian and uniformed leaders of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy. The leadership will testify before the committee on “the chain of command’s accountability to provide safe military housing” for its service members and families. The hearing comes weeks after it heard from military families and private contractors over a host of health and safety issues at privatized military housing across the country. “One of the recurring, heartbreaking sentiments was that families felt they had no advocate within the military to ensure they had high-quality, affordable housing,” committee chairman Sen.. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said in a statement. “That is unacceptable,” he said. In recent weeks, military officials have offered several remedies. Air Force and Army officials have promised force-wide housing inspections in coming months. Service officials are also looking into a possible “tenant bill of rights” that would allow them to suspend rent payments if their problems aren’t resolved. (Source: Military Times 02/27/19)