Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are debating the living conditions of American troops. The annual Pentagon budget legislation was repackaged as the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes a 4.5% pay rise for personnel. Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said no service member should live in “squalid conditions” and should not have to depend on food stamps or other government help to feed their families.
Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, said troops’ living conditions were the most important aspect of the bill, while Floridian Republican Rep. Michael Waltz described conditions as “shocking.” He explained that investigators had found feces and mildew at some living quarters.
The US Government Accountability Office released a report in May saying military barracks are “in shambles.” One recruit said that he did not expect to live in luxury at the 280,000-acre base at Fort Stewart in Georgia, but nor did he expect to find mold in the bathrooms, showers, toilets, closets, and other parts of the small room he shared with a fellow soldier.
The report noted that military housing problems are not new, and complaints of substandard conditions date back years. It also contained details of 2019 revelations that a private contractor, Balfour Beatty, which was responsible for the upkeep of thousands of homes, had falsified maintenance records and ignored requests to make basic improvements.
The US Army has funneled around $1 billion into housing in recent years, but experts estimate a further $6 billion or more is needed to correct matters. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a former Air Force officer, said conditions have significantly worsened since he left the military in 2014. “Something has happened. We need to put our finger on it and get it fixed,” he said. Mr. Bacon added that the people responsible would have been fired if housing was similarly substandard during his service.
