HEGSETH REQUESTS $137,000 FOR AN 'EMERGENCY' PAINT JOB BEFORE MOVING INTO MILITARY HOUSING
$137,000 may be a drop in the bucket for the U.S. government, but every drop should count when it comes to funding things through our taxes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is going to live in military housing but is requesting to have a notable amount of repairs, which includes $50,000 in funding for new paint.
Hegseth, $137,000, and Repairing Military Family Housing
In his defense, Pete Hegseth is far from the first person to complain about the state of military family housing options, but his request for $137,000 worth of repairs is still eye-catching.
Among his repair needs, is a $50,000 "emergency" paint job, causing several politicians to ask for more clarity on why so much funding is needed.
In a letter, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), both members of the House Appropriations Committee, wrote the following:
"We know that many service members and their families currently live in unacceptable housing conditions including houses with mold, lead paint, and other hazards. What commitment will you make to provide service members with a similarly high quality of housing for themselves and their families?"
Laws and Procedures
Defense Secretaries have lived in military housing before, although most do so through private housing options.
However, there are precedents set, and even regulations to help guide such decisions.
This includes legislation requiring Congress to receive notification on maintenance and repairs for certain people involved with the military if it’s going to cost over $35,000—§2831. military family housing management account.
The specific request of $137,297 for maintenance on an unoccupied Army housing unit triggered a notification, which was followed up a week later with notice to politicians that Hegseth would move into the home undergoing repairs.
Longstanding Problems for Service Members
What makes this request by Hegseth a bit more complicated is the juxtaposition of improving his home with haste while service members have complained about deplorable conditions for years.
Not only have many politicians, service members, groups, and news outlets advocated for a quicker, more effective manner of improving military housing, but the shift to more privatized options hasn’t helped.
There remain issues in private military housing options with harmful mold, and infestations, and even when repairs are made, they aren’t quality.
Service members living in barracks face similar issues, creating unsafe conditions for warfighters and their families.
Hegseth Not the First Defense Secretary to Live in Military Housing
The first Defense Secretary to live in military housing was Bob Gates. While calling a Navy residence his home in D.C., Gates was paying over $6,500 in rent.
This is a stark figure and much more than what officers were paying while making use of their basic allowance for housing (BAH).
Still, not everyone goes that route, with Hegseth’s successor, Lloyd Austin, living in a multimillion-dollar home in Virginia.
Regardless, lawmakers are questioning the circumstances surrounding where Hegseth will live, how much he’ll pay, and why these costly repairs are needed.
There is legislation mandating that if a defense secretary lives in military housing, rent must be 105% of a Four-Star General’s BAH. A law was created in an effort to cut security costs and reduce public disruptions.
While there are clear issues with military housing, lawmakers want transparency and are asking Hegseth for answers by February 21, 2025, amid concerns about past Trump administration housing scandals, including those involving Scott Pruitt, Mike Pompeo, and Ben Carson.
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