NORFOLK, Va. — Several U.S. senators, including Virginia's Tim Kaine, are calling on the Department of Defense to address poor conditions in privatized housing for military families.
On Wednesday, the senators wrote a letter to Secretary Lloyd Austin seeking information on how the department will "address the unhealthy prevalence of mold, lead-based paint, and asbestos in housing for America’s service members."
They also outlined concerns regarding the resolution process military families can use to address disputes with private housing companies.
Alongside Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Patty Murray, Mazie Hirono, Richard Blumenthal and Tammy Duckworth.
"I was at the Norfolk Naval base a couple of months ago and I heard areas where there have been improvements, but I have also heard areas where there have been significant challenges," said Sen. Kaine.
The letter comes after years of issues with privatized housing for military families. Back in 2018, it came to light that military tenants in more than 203,000 privatized housing units at or near nearly 200 bases across the country faced rodent infestations, mold, dangerous wiring, flooding and worse.
Congress passed laws to address the problems in 2020, but a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in April found that reforms are being inconsistently implemented, including a still incomplete formal dispute resolution process.
“The Department of Defense has a long way to go to fully implement reforms and restore military families’ confidence,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “Military families should not be forced into a confidentiality clause if they choose to use the formal dispute resolution process to address unsafe housing conditions, and the Department needs to take steps to improve this process and protect service members and their families.”
Kaine commented on the issues he's hearing about the formal dispute resolution process.
"I got some good reports on the dispute resolution mechanism on the Navy base in Norfolk when I was there a couple months back, but in the Army it is still not working," Sen. Kaine said. "Families are confused about how to use the mechanism, they are not happy with the timeliness of the response."
Sen. Mark Warner said the needed housing reform is one of his top five issues of frustration.
“I have basically come to the end of my rope," Sen. Warner said. "I wish that all of these contracts would be terminated or completely renegotiated. Where we make sure that maintenance of quality housing is a right and a requirement.”
In the letter, the lawmakers listed 15 questions for Austin to answer by Jan. 2, 2024. They also requested a briefing to hear about the steps that the Department of Defense is taking to address the issues.
13News Now Military Reporter Mike Gooding contributed to this report.