WASHINGTON — Virginia's two U.S. senators are pushing the military to finish overdue reforms designed to improve living conditions in privatized housing occupied by service members.
Back in 2018, it came to light that military tenants faced mold, rodent infestations, dangerous wiring, shoddy repairs and indifferent response from landlords.
Congress passed laws to address the problems in 2020, but a Government Accountability Office report in April found that reforms are inconsistently implemented.
Virginia's U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine wrote to the Defense Department this week, saying: "Our service members and their families have been forced to navigate housing conditions .... that have been woefully unacceptable."
The senators are urging the DoD and each military branch to take a range of steps, including the necessary actions outlined in the GAO report, to ensure that they are meeting their obligations towards service members and properly implementing all necessary reforms.
Fourteen private companies operate more than 203,000 military housing units at nearly 200 bases across the country.
There are 35 privatized military housing complexes in Hampton Roads.