Lawmakers on the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness offered measured praise Thursday to leaders of DOD and the military services for their initial response to widespread privatized family housing problems but raised concerns about long-term solutions, Stars and Stripes reported.
Chairman John Garamendi (D-Calif.) offered support during a hearing Thursday but pressed DOD representatives about ongoing reports of problems with privatized family housing.
“We’ve heard encouraging news. However… we continue to receive large amounts of correspondence from families struggling today,” Garamendi said. “We’ve heard that in some cases the very efforts headquarters put into place to try to improve the situation have led to counterproductive practices like closing maintenance work orders too quickly.”
Ranking member Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) highlighted the ongoing efforts of military spouses in raising the issue.
“I want to commend the courage and persistence of military spouses for bringing this issue to our attention,” Lamborn said. “Without the diligence of military families raising their voices on behalf of others, we might still be uninformed about these troubling problems. This was truly a grassroots effort in the best traditions of America.”
Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Richard L.J. Gourley
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