WEBVTT

00:01.037 --> 00:02.970
- And I notice in the back of the room

00:02.970 --> 00:05.280
some military families joining us again,

00:05.280 --> 00:09.250
and thank you for enlightening us

00:09.250 --> 00:10.630
and telling us about the problem

00:10.630 --> 00:13.470
so that we can move
forward with the solution.

00:13.470 --> 00:16.720
In February, this committee
heard from a panel

00:16.720 --> 00:19.590
of very courageous military spouses

00:19.590 --> 00:21.740
who told us of the
unhealthy and unsanitary

00:21.740 --> 00:23.880
living conditions that
they were experiencing

00:23.880 --> 00:26.900
in the privatized military housing

00:26.900 --> 00:29.910
and the continuing impacts
these conditions have

00:29.910 --> 00:31.940
on the health of their families.

00:31.940 --> 00:34.460
In addition to our
panelists, this committee

00:34.460 --> 00:37.500
and many of our members have
received thousands of emails

00:37.500 --> 00:40.220
and letters with similar accounts of mold,

00:40.220 --> 00:44.920
lead contamination, shoddy
maintenance, shoddy workmanship,

00:44.920 --> 00:47.740
unprofessional property management staff.

00:47.740 --> 00:50.530
These accounts paint an unsettling picture

00:50.530 --> 00:54.030
of many of our privatized
family housing developments.

00:54.030 --> 00:56.010
Equally disturbing is the fact that

00:56.010 --> 00:57.800
when these families reached out

00:58.760 --> 01:01.410
to their chain of command for help,

01:01.410 --> 01:04.800
instead of getting the support
that they desperately needed,

01:04.800 --> 01:07.770
they received shrugs of indifference

01:07.770 --> 01:10.460
and they were told that there was nothing

01:10.460 --> 01:13.560
the military service
could do to help them.

01:13.560 --> 01:15.630
Well, that was the wrong answer.

01:15.630 --> 01:19.180
We heard from them, we
held a committee hearing,

01:19.180 --> 01:21.860
and we're here today to hear
what the United States military

01:21.860 --> 01:24.800
is doing to support their families

01:24.800 --> 01:27.600
and the services that they
provide to this country.

01:27.600 --> 01:31.150
In recent weeks, the military
services seem to have become

01:31.150 --> 01:34.720
energized about getting to
the root cause of this crisis.

01:34.720 --> 01:38.520
We have heard encouraging
news from senior leadership

01:38.520 --> 01:42.400
of the engagement of health
and safety inspections,

01:42.400 --> 01:46.230
Inspector General investigations
into work order processes,

01:46.230 --> 01:48.710
and housing hotlines to expedite

01:48.710 --> 01:51.070
getting families the needed help.

01:51.070 --> 01:54.413
However, efforts have been performed.

01:58.030 --> 02:00.800
These efforts have been performed
at the headquarters level,

02:00.800 --> 02:02.940
and they may not have necessarily

02:02.940 --> 02:05.000
trickled down to the installations.

02:05.000 --> 02:07.830
We continue to receive large
amounts of correspondence

02:07.830 --> 02:12.020
from families struggling in
today's privatized housing.

02:12.020 --> 02:14.610
We've heard that, in some
cases, the very efforts

02:14.610 --> 02:18.280
headquarters have put in
place to improve the situation

02:18.280 --> 02:21.160
have led to counterproductive practices,

02:21.160 --> 02:25.110
like closing the maintenance
work orders too quickly,

02:25.110 --> 02:28.540
and instead of using privatized partners,

02:28.540 --> 02:31.970
non-disclosure agreements
are often used also.

02:31.970 --> 02:35.610
The services must expeditiously move

02:36.510 --> 02:39.723
from their assessment
mode into implementation.

02:42.003 --> 02:45.410
They must use best practices
from the housing developments

02:45.410 --> 02:48.430
that are working well and
quickly implement the fixes

02:48.430 --> 02:50.940
required to conduct effective oversight

02:50.940 --> 02:54.200
at headquarters level and
provide the necessary support

02:54.200 --> 02:57.460
to our military families
at their installations.

02:57.460 --> 03:00.700
I expect our witnesses will
provide us with information

03:00.700 --> 03:03.310
on the steps they're taking today

03:03.310 --> 03:05.400
to make headway on these issues

03:05.400 --> 03:09.930
and a detailed roadmap
from here into the midterm

03:09.930 --> 03:14.750
and longterm to keep this issue
from ever happening again.

03:14.750 --> 03:17.850
Our families deserve better,
and this committee will demand

03:17.850 --> 03:19.583
that the services do better.

03:20.640 --> 03:23.330
With that, I'd like to
turn to my ranking member

03:23.330 --> 03:25.780
and good friend, Doug Lamborn in Colorado,

03:25.780 --> 03:27.157
for any remarks you may have.

03:27.157 --> 03:29.100
- Ok, and thank you Mr. Chairman.

03:29.100 --> 03:31.120
Thank you for calling
this important hearing.

03:31.120 --> 03:32.580
This is the second hearing we've had

03:32.580 --> 03:35.550
on this extremely important topic.

03:35.550 --> 03:37.350
To begin with, I wanna commend the courage

03:37.350 --> 03:39.250
and persistence of military spouses

03:39.250 --> 03:42.680
for bringing this issue to our attention.

03:42.680 --> 03:45.030
Without the diligence of military families

03:45.030 --> 03:47.600
raising their voices on behalf of others,

03:47.600 --> 03:52.190
we might still be uninformed
about these troubling problems.

03:52.190 --> 03:54.210
This was truly a grassroots effort

03:54.210 --> 03:57.380
in the best tradition of America.

03:57.380 --> 04:00.140
Sadly, our collective management
of military family housing

04:00.140 --> 04:02.860
was not in keeping with
our proud traditions.

04:02.860 --> 04:06.000
There is no question that
Congress and the military services

04:06.000 --> 04:09.150
were less than diligent in our oversight.

04:09.150 --> 04:12.510
My colleagues will recall the
compelling testimony we had

04:12.510 --> 04:16.150
from several military
spouses last February.

04:16.150 --> 04:20.040
They described an unyielding bureaucracy

04:20.040 --> 04:22.020
unwilling to address health issues

04:22.020 --> 04:25.740
and closing work orders
with no real resolution.

04:25.740 --> 04:27.770
The frustrations they
faced in trying to resolve

04:27.770 --> 04:30.000
health and safety concerns
for their families

04:30.000 --> 04:32.570
made a deep impression on all of us.

04:32.570 --> 04:35.580
Thankfully, the military services
now understand and accept

04:35.580 --> 04:37.880
that they have not
provided adequate oversight

04:37.880 --> 04:39.440
over housing programs,

04:39.440 --> 04:43.310
and they are each taking steps
to improve the situation.

04:43.310 --> 04:45.600
To be sure, not all housing programs

04:45.600 --> 04:48.250
suffered from mismanagement.

04:48.250 --> 04:51.920
Even so, the general disengagement
of service leadership

04:51.920 --> 04:54.040
and the evisceration of housing staff,

04:54.040 --> 04:58.730
particularly at installation
level, left a void.

04:58.730 --> 05:02.610
That void led to mismanagement
at too many projects.

05:02.610 --> 05:04.160
By now, the military departments

05:04.160 --> 05:05.570
have assessed the situation.

05:05.570 --> 05:08.350
We are here to learn what
needs to be done to fix

05:08.350 --> 05:11.800
the problems and maintain
those fixes into the future.

05:11.800 --> 05:15.420
There is no more important work

05:15.420 --> 05:17.730
for this subcommittee to undertake,

05:17.730 --> 05:19.530
and we will work with
our Senate colleagues

05:19.530 --> 05:23.660
to make sure that this
important issue is addressed

05:23.660 --> 05:25.440
as successfully as possible.

05:25.440 --> 05:28.090
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.

05:28.090 --> 05:29.630
- Thank you, Mr. Lamborn.

05:29.630 --> 05:32.400
I'd now like to welcome our witnesses,

05:32.400 --> 05:35.910
but before they start, as
I think all of us know,

05:35.910 --> 05:37.550
we will have votes in about an hour,

05:37.550 --> 05:40.460
maybe an hour and 15 minutes,
so we're gonna move along

05:40.460 --> 05:42.773
a little more expeditiously than normal.

05:43.770 --> 05:47.540
So, Mr. Robert McMahon,
Assistant Secretary of Defense

05:47.540 --> 05:49.340
for Sustainment, we welcome you.

05:49.340 --> 05:53.840
Also, Mr. Thomas Modly,
Undersecretary of the Navy.

05:53.840 --> 05:56.910
Mr. John Henderson, the Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force

05:56.910 --> 06:00.100
for Installations,
Environment, and Energy.

06:00.100 --> 06:03.720
Mr. Alex Beehler,
Assistant Secretary of Army

06:03.720 --> 06:07.123
for Installations, Energy,
and Environment for the Army.

06:08.180 --> 06:12.390
All of us should note that
Undersecretary Modly appears

06:12.390 --> 06:15.930
before us today due to
the turnover of personnel

06:15.930 --> 06:18.680
in the Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Navy

06:18.680 --> 06:21.170
for Energy, Installations,
and Environment,

06:21.170 --> 06:24.630
and his seniority should in
no way reflect negatively

06:24.630 --> 06:27.720
on the Air Force, Army,
or Department of Defense,

06:27.720 --> 06:30.530
who have sent the people who
are specifically responsible.

06:30.530 --> 06:34.440
So, having done that
little bit of appropriate,

06:34.440 --> 06:35.693
we will now move on.

06:37.230 --> 06:41.593
So, let's start with Mr. McMahon.

06:44.490 --> 06:47.040
- Chairman Garamendi,
ranking member Lamborn,

06:47.040 --> 06:48.940
distinguished members of the subcommittee,

06:48.940 --> 06:50.590
thank you for the opportunity today

06:50.590 --> 06:53.130
to testify on military housing.

06:53.130 --> 06:56.500
I'd like to begin by acknowledging
all of the family members

06:56.500 --> 06:58.430
that have come forward in recent months

06:58.430 --> 07:00.240
to share their experience.

07:00.240 --> 07:03.380
This took tremendous courage,
and we appreciate not only

07:03.380 --> 07:06.880
what they did but more
importantly what they do every day

07:06.880 --> 07:09.640
in support of their spouses.

07:09.640 --> 07:11.840
What we have heard from them reinforces

07:11.840 --> 07:16.130
that we collectively must
do significantly better.

07:16.130 --> 07:17.600
For those of us that have lived

07:17.600 --> 07:20.800
in military housing before privatization,

07:20.800 --> 07:22.860
and I've lived in nine
different base homes

07:22.860 --> 07:25.670
during my 34-year military career,

07:25.670 --> 07:28.330
we know that the quality
of privatized housing is

07:28.330 --> 07:32.090
significantly better
than when DOD managed it.

07:32.090 --> 07:34.230
However, for more than 80%

07:34.230 --> 07:37.860
of our current military
population who didn't experience

07:37.860 --> 07:42.200
the poor housing of the
past, this is all they know,

07:42.200 --> 07:45.643
and they expect us to get
it right 100% of the time.

07:46.640 --> 07:51.640
As you know, 70% of our
military members live off-base.

07:51.680 --> 07:55.030
For the 30% that live on-base,
our goal is to offer them

07:55.030 --> 07:58.070
a safe, high-quality, and affordable home

07:58.070 --> 08:00.730
where they want and choose to live.

08:00.730 --> 08:03.400
We must and will do better.

08:03.400 --> 08:06.170
We need to improve upon communications,

08:06.170 --> 08:08.670
we need to improve upon engagement,

08:08.670 --> 08:11.580
and we need to improve
upon responsiveness.

08:11.580 --> 08:14.620
At the same time, we must
ensure the longterm viability

08:14.620 --> 08:16.720
of our privatized housing projects

08:17.800 --> 08:21.450
so that the future residents
will have high-quality housing

08:21.450 --> 08:23.810
20 years from now as well.

08:23.810 --> 08:25.610
It is important to distinguish between

08:25.610 --> 08:29.900
what housing privatization
is and what it is not.

08:29.900 --> 08:34.560
The key element is that we no
longer own privatized homes.

08:34.560 --> 08:37.090
This does not mean we
should not have oversight

08:37.090 --> 08:39.170
responsibilities and authorities,

08:39.170 --> 08:42.640
but it does mean that we do not

08:42.640 --> 08:46.110
have contracts to be governed by clauses.

08:46.110 --> 08:49.260
As such, we exercise our
authority through the agreements

08:49.260 --> 08:52.480
we have entered into with
our privatized partners.

08:52.480 --> 08:54.090
This partnership is key.

08:54.090 --> 08:57.910
We must fulfill our
oversight responsibilities,

08:57.910 --> 09:02.910
and our partners must meet
their obligations as landlords.

09:02.960 --> 09:04.150
Since the beginning of the year,

09:04.150 --> 09:06.900
the military departments have conducted

09:06.900 --> 09:10.530
an intense campaign
consisting of site visits,

09:10.530 --> 09:13.500
reviews of privatized housing conditions,

09:13.500 --> 09:15.800
meetings with families and communities,

09:15.800 --> 09:19.710
and senior-level discussions
with privatization partners

09:19.710 --> 09:22.680
to address property management issues.

09:22.680 --> 09:25.650
We've developed a series
of corrective actions

09:25.650 --> 09:30.000
based upon this campaign that
we are now putting in motion,

09:30.000 --> 09:34.323
categorized in terms of
near-term, midterm, and longterm.

09:35.330 --> 09:37.240
Examples of these actions include

09:37.240 --> 09:40.580
implementing a resident Bill of Rights,

09:40.580 --> 09:42.070
determining the feasibility

09:42.070 --> 09:45.060
of developing a common tenant lease,

09:45.060 --> 09:47.310
clarifying processes for residents

09:47.310 --> 09:49.050
who raised health concerns,

09:49.050 --> 09:53.410
and for health providers to
report issues as appropriate,

09:53.410 --> 09:57.820
and establishing resident
customer care advocates.

09:57.820 --> 10:00.560
The Department of Defense is
committed to working closely

10:00.560 --> 10:04.410
with you and your staff to
ensure our members and families

10:04.410 --> 10:09.400
have safe places to live,
work, play, and pray.

10:09.400 --> 10:12.810
We and our industry partners
are fully committed to first

10:12.810 --> 10:16.260
ensuring that today's
residents of privatized housing

10:16.260 --> 10:18.980
have a safe, high-quality,
and affordable home

10:19.989 --> 10:23.080
where they want to live
and choose to live,

10:23.080 --> 10:26.460
and secondly, ensuring
the longterm viability

10:26.460 --> 10:28.550
of our privatized housing projects

10:28.550 --> 10:31.220
so that our future
residents 20 years from now

10:31.220 --> 10:33.460
have exactly the same thing.

10:33.460 --> 10:35.110
I look forward to your questions.

10:36.540 --> 10:38.947
- Thank you, now Mr. Modly.

10:41.690 --> 10:44.210
- Chairman Garamendi,
ranking member Lamborn,

10:44.210 --> 10:46.550
distinguished members of
the readiness subcommittee,

10:46.550 --> 10:49.270
on behalf of the Secretary of
the Navy, Richard B. Spencer,

10:49.270 --> 10:52.180
thank you for the opportunity
to testify to you regarding

10:52.180 --> 10:54.760
the urgent actions we are
taking to immediately improve

10:54.760 --> 10:57.160
privatized housing and the quality of life

10:57.160 --> 10:59.770
for our sailors, Marines,
and their families.

10:59.770 --> 11:02.120
As you all know, we ask a
tremendous amount from the members

11:02.120 --> 11:05.900
of our Navy and Marine Corps
team in defending our nation,

11:05.900 --> 11:08.310
so to learn that we as a department

11:08.310 --> 11:10.910
of the Navy and its leadership
have not fully lived up

11:10.910 --> 11:13.800
to our commitments to
provide quality safe housing

11:13.800 --> 11:16.240
was both embarrassing and alarming to us.

11:16.240 --> 11:18.800
It was embarrassing
because it reflects poorly

11:18.800 --> 11:21.270
across our entire Naval institution

11:21.270 --> 11:23.360
to include those thousands of people

11:23.360 --> 11:25.240
who actually work extremely hard everyday

11:25.240 --> 11:28.050
to ensure that those goals
and objectives are met,

11:28.050 --> 11:29.600
and alarming in that it raised

11:29.600 --> 11:32.010
a number of systemic issues
that we needed to correct,

11:32.010 --> 11:34.350
issues that should've
been addressed long ago

11:34.350 --> 11:36.780
given our solemn commitment to
each and every service member

11:36.780 --> 11:38.550
and their families that
we take care of them

11:38.550 --> 11:40.770
to the very best of our ability.

11:40.770 --> 11:42.700
In the end, this issues is not so much

11:42.700 --> 11:45.800
about property management
as it is about leadership.

11:45.800 --> 11:48.810
We have recommitted ourselves
to fixing this problem

11:48.810 --> 11:51.240
so that our people are provided
the housing they deserve

11:51.240 --> 11:53.460
and so that they can focus
on the important jobs

11:53.460 --> 11:55.400
we ask them to do.

11:55.400 --> 11:57.230
Therefore, we are
comprehensively reviewing

11:57.230 --> 11:59.190
the business systems,
reporting mechanisms,

11:59.190 --> 12:01.140
and oversight procedures governing the way

12:01.140 --> 12:03.570
housing maintenance issues
are reported, remediated,

12:03.570 --> 12:06.200
and verified in privatized housing.

12:06.200 --> 12:08.500
We are also striving to
make personal contact

12:08.500 --> 12:12.160
with every sailor and Marine
who lives in a PPV housing unit

12:12.160 --> 12:13.223
and, to date, I'm proud to say

12:13.223 --> 12:16.450
that the Navy is 100%
complete on that task,

12:16.450 --> 12:18.580
reaching over 44 thousand sailors

12:18.580 --> 12:21.350
living in PPV or government-run housing.

12:21.350 --> 12:23.040
The Marine Corps will be complete

12:23.040 --> 12:24.890
with this task by April 15th,

12:24.890 --> 12:27.710
and, to date, they have made
direct contact face-to-face

12:27.710 --> 12:29.833
with over 58 thousand Marines.

12:30.960 --> 12:32.830
I have also directed
the Naval Audit Service

12:32.830 --> 12:35.820
to perform a comprehensive
review of the PPV program

12:35.820 --> 12:38.840
and to report back to
me within 60 to 90 days.

12:38.840 --> 12:41.630
The objective of this audit
is not only to look backwards

12:41.630 --> 12:44.920
but to provide insight into
how we can better understand

12:44.920 --> 12:47.820
and anticipate emerging
trends and align incentives

12:47.820 --> 12:50.380
and accountability across the program.

12:50.380 --> 12:53.020
Finally, we are reaffirming
that our PPV partners

12:53.020 --> 12:54.780
must remain an important component

12:54.780 --> 12:57.830
of the housing solution
offered to military families.

12:57.830 --> 13:00.580
Our agreements with them are
designed as a partnership

13:00.580 --> 13:03.910
and not as a traditional
outsourcing contractor relationship

13:03.910 --> 13:06.550
and so we need far more frequent

13:06.550 --> 13:10.160
senior leadership engagement
with them going forward.

13:10.160 --> 13:12.343
We are also ensuring our
military leaders understand

13:12.343 --> 13:15.370
that we have not outsourced
their responsibility

13:15.370 --> 13:17.260
to be advocates for our service members

13:17.260 --> 13:19.740
who reside in a PPV housing unit.

13:19.740 --> 13:21.620
It is an essential function of commanders

13:21.620 --> 13:24.090
and small unit leaders to
be engaged in the well-being

13:24.090 --> 13:26.400
of sailors and Marines and their families.

13:26.400 --> 13:29.320
This is a moral obligation
commanders have to their people,

13:29.320 --> 13:31.540
but it is also one that
can have a profound impact

13:31.540 --> 13:33.850
on overall readiness of the force.

13:33.850 --> 13:36.350
It is important that they
understand that the PPV structure

13:36.350 --> 13:39.280
is a partnership in which
their role in that partnership

13:39.280 --> 13:41.860
is not only financial and governance,

13:41.860 --> 13:43.530
but rather it is to be an advocate

13:43.530 --> 13:47.120
for the tenants whom
that partnership serves.

13:47.120 --> 13:49.940
We cannot allow ourselves to
take our eyes off the ball

13:49.940 --> 13:52.030
on this critical responsibility again,

13:52.030 --> 13:53.600
and we are taking every possible step

13:53.600 --> 13:55.150
to ensure that we don't.

13:55.150 --> 13:56.940
I detailed many of the specific actions

13:56.940 --> 13:58.730
we have taken in my written statement,

13:58.730 --> 14:00.700
and I can assure you the
Department of the Navy is

14:00.700 --> 14:03.430
all hands on deck in
getting after this problem.

14:03.430 --> 14:06.080
I respectfully request
that the written statement

14:06.080 --> 14:07.110
be entered into the record,

14:07.110 --> 14:09.660
and thank you and I look
forward to your questions.

14:19.620 --> 14:20.453
- Mr. Henderson.

14:21.440 --> 14:22.690
- Good morning.

14:22.690 --> 14:25.070
Chairman Garamendi,
ranking member Lamborn,

14:25.070 --> 14:27.350
and distinguished members
of this subcommittee,

14:27.350 --> 14:28.750
it is an honor to represent our airmen

14:28.750 --> 14:30.940
and senior Air Force leaders here today.

14:30.940 --> 14:33.310
My full written statement has
been submitted for the record,

14:33.310 --> 14:36.170
but I just wanted to summarize
the actions we've taken

14:36.170 --> 14:38.440
to address the challenges
with privatized housing

14:38.440 --> 14:39.990
at some of our Air Force bases.

14:40.870 --> 14:42.590
We've heard the concerns of our airmen,

14:42.590 --> 14:44.570
their families, and Congress,

14:44.570 --> 14:46.920
and Air Force leadership at
every level is aggressively

14:46.920 --> 14:49.770
addressing the challenges
identified with family housing.

14:50.710 --> 14:52.430
We take the health and
safety of our airmen

14:52.430 --> 14:54.130
and their families very seriously.

14:55.200 --> 14:56.830
Air Force leadership is currently workin'

14:56.830 --> 14:58.620
through 39 significant initiatives

14:58.620 --> 15:01.410
along five lines of effort
to empower residents,

15:01.410 --> 15:04.300
integrate leadership,
improve communication,

15:04.300 --> 15:07.013
standardize policy, and improve oversight.

15:08.250 --> 15:10.840
On February 12th, Secretary
Wilson and General Goldfein

15:10.840 --> 15:12.590
directed an Inspector General assessment

15:12.590 --> 15:14.530
of policies, procedures,
and best practices

15:14.530 --> 15:17.160
for handlin' resident complaints
and protecting residents

15:17.160 --> 15:19.370
from potential health and safety hazards.

15:19.370 --> 15:21.920
This assessment will wrap
up soon, and we intend

15:21.920 --> 15:24.870
to incorporate their recommendations
into this action plan.

15:25.780 --> 15:28.190
On February 15th, Secretary
Wilson and General Wilson

15:28.190 --> 15:31.180
directed a 100% health and
safety review of family housing

15:31.180 --> 15:33.440
in an effort to identify
the scope and extent

15:33.440 --> 15:36.080
of our housing challenges
across the Air Force.

15:36.080 --> 15:37.817
We completed the review on March 1st,

15:37.817 --> 15:39.240
and our commanders are addressing

15:39.240 --> 15:42.370
over 47 hundred deficiencies
that were identified.

15:42.370 --> 15:43.320
To date, over 19 hundred

15:43.320 --> 15:45.540
of those deficiencies have been resolved,

15:45.540 --> 15:48.170
and we continue to aggressively
work with our project owners

15:48.170 --> 15:50.963
to close out the remaining
28 hundred or so items.

15:51.860 --> 15:54.820
And this week, the
Secretary, Chief of Staff,

15:54.820 --> 15:56.410
and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

15:56.410 --> 15:58.920
also sent a tri-signed letter
to all wing commanders,

15:58.920 --> 16:01.490
reinforcing their leader
roles and responsibilities

16:01.490 --> 16:04.573
as they apply to privatized
housing management at our bases.

16:05.670 --> 16:07.970
We are collaborating with the
Office of Secretary Defense,

16:07.970 --> 16:10.500
the other services,
Congress, project owners,

16:10.500 --> 16:12.430
and our families and advocates

16:12.430 --> 16:13.890
to develop a resident Bill of Rights,

16:13.890 --> 16:16.840
which is intended to be consistent
across all the services.

16:18.070 --> 16:20.690
The Air Force submitted a $31.2 million

16:20.690 --> 16:23.570
FY20 unfunded request at 250 personnel

16:23.570 --> 16:25.830
to our Housing Management offices.

16:25.830 --> 16:27.250
This team is the center of gravity

16:27.250 --> 16:28.830
for advocating for our residents,

16:28.830 --> 16:31.010
providing oversight
for our project owners,

16:31.010 --> 16:32.900
keeping the chain of command informed,

16:32.900 --> 16:35.130
and providing the
critical onsite leadership

16:35.130 --> 16:37.553
and management where it matters the most.

16:38.420 --> 16:40.390
We are also takin' steps
to improve engagement

16:40.390 --> 16:42.640
with our airmen who live
in privatized housing.

16:42.640 --> 16:45.280
For instance, we established
a toll-free hotline

16:45.280 --> 16:46.750
where residents can report their concerns

16:46.750 --> 16:47.910
with privatized housing,

16:47.910 --> 16:50.470
and we are crafting a policy
to establish tenant councils

16:50.470 --> 16:52.550
for both privatized and
government-owned housing

16:52.550 --> 16:53.773
across the Air Force.

16:54.840 --> 16:56.640
Along with these near-term actions,

16:56.640 --> 16:59.510
we have also initiated a number
of mid and longterm efforts

16:59.510 --> 17:01.580
in collaboration with our project owners

17:01.580 --> 17:05.090
to improve performance
incentive fee structure,

17:05.090 --> 17:08.400
to automate systems for
maintenance work order visibility,

17:08.400 --> 17:10.820
to add rigor to our
maintenance quality assurance,

17:10.820 --> 17:13.050
to revise mold and moisture policies,

17:13.050 --> 17:15.800
and enhance our annual site audits.

17:15.800 --> 17:17.850
Thank you for the invitation
to appear here today

17:17.850 --> 17:19.070
and for your continued support

17:19.070 --> 17:20.470
of our airmen and their families,

17:20.470 --> 17:22.260
and I look forward to your questions.

17:22.260 --> 17:24.170
- Thank you, Mr. Henderson.

17:24.170 --> 17:25.333
Mr. Beehler.

17:26.260 --> 17:30.210
- Chairman Garamendi,
ranking member Lamborn,

17:30.210 --> 17:33.070
and distinguished members
of this subcommittee,

17:33.070 --> 17:35.370
thank you for this opportunity to testify

17:35.370 --> 17:37.977
on the current state
of the military housing

17:37.977 --> 17:40.400
and privatization initiative

17:40.400 --> 17:43.550
and answer any questions you may have.

17:43.550 --> 17:46.310
I want to begin by thanking
the committee members

17:46.310 --> 17:49.370
for their continued support and commitment

17:49.370 --> 17:53.760
to the Army, soldiers,
families, and civilians.

17:53.760 --> 17:56.730
I look forward to working
with you to achieve

17:56.730 --> 18:01.003
our mutual goal of improving
the condition of Army housing.

18:01.870 --> 18:05.660
First, I'd like to emphasize
that the safety and well-being

18:05.660 --> 18:09.610
of our soldiers and their
families is paramount.

18:09.610 --> 18:13.610
The Army is committed to
providing safe and secure housing

18:13.610 --> 18:17.100
across its 104 thousand family homes,

18:17.100 --> 18:21.270
of which more than 87
thousand are privatized.

18:21.270 --> 18:25.660
The recent reports of
substandard conditions

18:25.660 --> 18:30.510
in some of our military housing
units are deeply disturbing.

18:30.510 --> 18:34.860
It is unacceptable for
any of our families,

18:34.860 --> 18:38.010
who sacrifice so much for our country,

18:38.010 --> 18:42.440
to endure such hardships
in their own homes.

18:42.440 --> 18:45.310
Army senior leadership
directed installations

18:45.310 --> 18:48.850
to inspect housing, talk with families,

18:48.850 --> 18:52.740
and press housing CEOs into action.

18:52.740 --> 18:55.930
We recently required
installation commanders

18:55.930 --> 19:00.930
to visit all family housing
to ensure no family resides

19:02.710 --> 19:06.690
in a home with life safety
or health deficiencies,

19:06.690 --> 19:09.920
and we are currently
evaluating the results.

19:09.920 --> 19:12.910
Additionally, a
recently-revised Army survey

19:12.910 --> 19:17.910
addressing housing issues will
be sent to residents shortly,

19:18.200 --> 19:22.290
and we will review our
findings with housing CEOs.

19:22.290 --> 19:25.940
To further address
concerns, each installation

19:25.940 --> 19:28.940
garrison commander has
established hotlines

19:28.940 --> 19:31.230
and conducted Town Hall meetings,

19:31.230 --> 19:33.880
providing residents the opportunity

19:33.880 --> 19:37.300
to voice concerns to Army leadership.

19:37.300 --> 19:41.570
Common themes at these
Town Hall meetings included

19:41.570 --> 19:46.570
poor customer service, lack
of work order transparency,

19:47.100 --> 19:49.240
and residents' inability to hold

19:49.240 --> 19:52.540
housing companies accountable.

19:52.540 --> 19:56.010
Additionally, the service
secretaries recently introduced

19:56.010 --> 20:00.120
a tenant Bill of Rights, to
which we welcome your input,

20:00.120 --> 20:03.120
though the reforms will not stop there.

20:03.120 --> 20:06.120
All companies have agreed to ensure

20:06.120 --> 20:09.520
sufficient trained technicians and staff

20:09.520 --> 20:12.780
will be available to address problems,

20:12.780 --> 20:17.130
as well as issues brought up
in our Town Hall meetings.

20:17.130 --> 20:20.460
The incentive fee structure
and project metrics

20:20.460 --> 20:22.670
will also be reviewed.

20:22.670 --> 20:26.710
Going forward, it will be our
task to take these commitments

20:26.710 --> 20:30.800
and codify them in project documents.

20:30.800 --> 20:33.370
Our mission is to provide
high-quality homes

20:33.370 --> 20:37.950
and living experiences, both
privatized and Army-owned.

20:37.950 --> 20:41.790
We remain committed to providing
safe and secure housing

20:41.790 --> 20:44.830
for our soldiers and their families,

20:44.830 --> 20:47.550
but we need to do better.

20:47.550 --> 20:51.430
It is clear that we've let
some of our Army families down,

20:51.430 --> 20:54.740
and moving forward we're committed
to applying the resources

20:54.740 --> 20:59.330
necessary to oversee and
fully address these issues.

20:59.330 --> 21:02.660
Our soldiers and their
families deserve no less.

21:02.660 --> 21:05.060
Thank you for your
interest in this matter,

21:05.060 --> 21:08.273
as well as your continued
support of the Army.

21:09.590 --> 21:11.690
- Gentlemen, thank you for your testimony.

21:12.560 --> 21:15.110
We have very significant participation

21:15.110 --> 21:18.660
by the members of the committee,
and we have little time.

21:18.660 --> 21:21.770
I would ask the members
to see if we can work

21:21.770 --> 21:23.410
on three minutes rather than five,

21:23.410 --> 21:25.780
otherwise we're gonna
leave a lot of our members

21:25.780 --> 21:28.230
without having an
opportunity for questions,

21:28.230 --> 21:30.333
and I'll make mine very, very brief here.

21:31.850 --> 21:35.820
It's very obvious to me that
the principle problem here

21:35.820 --> 21:37.993
was a lack of attention to this issue.

21:38.860 --> 21:43.180
From the witnesses today and
from the written testimony,

21:43.180 --> 21:47.380
as well as personal meetings,
the branches of the military

21:47.380 --> 21:51.680
including the Office of the
Secretary have stepped up,

21:51.680 --> 21:55.360
paying attention, and have
put in place plans that,

21:55.360 --> 21:58.950
if enacted and carried out over time,

21:58.950 --> 22:03.428
will reduce this problem and
quite possibly eliminate it.

22:03.428 --> 22:07.177
And I wanna make quite
sure that the commanders

22:09.960 --> 22:14.960
and the officers responsible
for the installations

22:15.110 --> 22:17.910
are given both the
responsibility and the authority

22:17.910 --> 22:20.740
to solve the problem on their bases,

22:20.740 --> 22:25.060
and I think this is a question
that goes to all four of you.

22:25.060 --> 22:26.080
Is that the case?

22:26.080 --> 22:29.770
Has this issue been pushed
down to the commanders,

22:29.770 --> 22:32.573
the officers responsible for
the various installations?

22:33.550 --> 22:34.970
- Mr. Chairman, let me start,

22:34.970 --> 22:36.750
and what I would tell
you is we reviewed it

22:36.750 --> 22:39.040
from a legal perspective that says

22:39.040 --> 22:41.780
that our commanders have
full authority to have both

22:41.780 --> 22:44.650
the responsibility and the
authority to oversee that,

22:44.650 --> 22:47.100
and then I'll let the
services comment specifically.

22:47.100 --> 22:48.240
- [Garamendi] Thank you.

22:48.240 --> 22:50.200
Let's start with the Navy
and just run down the line.

22:50.200 --> 22:51.033
- Yes, sir.

22:51.033 --> 22:55.250
Absolutely, we have empowered
our installation commanders

22:55.250 --> 22:58.620
to be at that forefront of
trying to resolve these issues,

22:58.620 --> 23:02.363
but I would also say it's
also a command issue as well.

23:03.780 --> 23:07.120
As I mentioned in my remarks,
at the small-unit level,

23:07.120 --> 23:10.160
making sure that our
junior leaders understand

23:10.160 --> 23:12.040
their responsibility for watching out

23:12.040 --> 23:14.740
for their sailors and Marines
and being engaged in that.

23:14.740 --> 23:16.960
That helps to elevate issues more quickly,

23:16.960 --> 23:18.230
and I think that's gonna be key

23:18.230 --> 23:21.450
to getting after these
problems more quickly.

23:21.450 --> 23:22.610
- Mr. Henderson.

23:22.610 --> 23:23.970
- On behalf of the Air Force, yes.

23:23.970 --> 23:26.340
We're countin' on our
leaders and commanders

23:26.340 --> 23:29.283
to lead us for our corrective action plan.

23:31.190 --> 23:34.540
- On behalf of the Army, absolutely.

23:34.540 --> 23:38.400
It's already been
implemented what to reinforce

23:38.400 --> 23:41.460
to the garrison commanders,
what their responsibilities,

23:41.460 --> 23:44.410
duties, and obligations are in this area.

23:44.410 --> 23:46.920
It's reflected and enhanced training

23:46.920 --> 23:49.710
that the garrison commanders will have.

23:49.710 --> 23:52.850
It also is been reinforced by requiring

23:52.850 --> 23:57.850
the garrison commanders to
have regular town meetings,

23:58.390 --> 24:00.373
be engaged with responding,

24:01.520 --> 24:06.520
and their housing authorities
to the 24-seven hotlines,

24:06.560 --> 24:11.560
and basically educating
the residents to make sure

24:13.010 --> 24:17.770
that they engage their
chain of command up through

24:17.770 --> 24:20.800
and including the garrison commanders

24:20.800 --> 24:23.030
and on up to senior commanders

24:23.030 --> 24:26.040
and even the Army headquarters,

24:26.040 --> 24:29.730
if indeed no satisfaction
at the lower level

24:29.730 --> 24:31.030
has been incurred.

24:31.030 --> 24:35.150
Finally, the garrison commanders
also are being instructed

24:35.150 --> 24:39.410
in how effectively to use
the incentive fee approval

24:39.410 --> 24:42.313
that occurs every 90 days,

24:44.237 --> 24:49.237
as far as appropriately
rewarding the private companies

24:49.570 --> 24:52.513
for their performance
during that time period.

24:55.320 --> 24:56.680
- Thank you.

24:56.680 --> 25:00.050
Also, it's probable that you
will need additional personnel

25:00.050 --> 25:01.970
or at least people assigned to these tasks

25:01.970 --> 25:04.600
as we review and prepare for the NDA.

25:04.600 --> 25:07.490
We'll look specifically
for that piece of it.

25:07.490 --> 25:10.380
Are people going to be
assigned to carry out this?

25:10.380 --> 25:12.640
And some of your
testimonies spoke to that.

25:12.640 --> 25:13.493
Mr. Lamborn?

25:14.770 --> 25:15.710
- Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

25:15.710 --> 25:17.210
Once again, thank you for
this important hearing.

25:17.210 --> 25:19.820
I'll work with you to make
sure that the action plans

25:19.820 --> 25:22.480
that are formulated are carried out

25:22.480 --> 25:24.933
and will continue our
oversight in the future.

25:26.560 --> 25:29.920
Mr. Henderson, before I get
into the general question

25:29.920 --> 25:31.570
for all of the service branches

25:31.570 --> 25:32.690
that are represented here today,

25:32.690 --> 25:35.400
I wanna ask you about
one item in particular

25:35.400 --> 25:38.223
that apparently is some
late breaking news,

25:39.472 --> 25:41.690
and it has to do with
an employee of the firm

25:41.690 --> 25:45.990
that operates privatized
housing at the Air Force Academy

25:45.990 --> 25:48.000
having been arrested for fraud.

25:48.000 --> 25:49.590
What can you tell us about that,

25:49.590 --> 25:54.163
and does it reflect in any way
on the Air Force's oversight?

25:55.680 --> 25:57.053
- Good morning, thanks.

25:57.970 --> 26:01.750
This is an ongoing situation
at the Air Force Academy

26:01.750 --> 26:03.900
and with our project owner there,

26:03.900 --> 26:06.440
and it's a very unfortunate situation,

26:06.440 --> 26:09.170
but I also think it
serves as a good example

26:09.170 --> 26:12.010
of what routine oversight looks like

26:12.010 --> 26:14.510
and what it looks like when
it's working correctly.

26:14.510 --> 26:15.710
Just to give a little background,

26:15.710 --> 26:18.260
to speak in generalities
since it is still ongoing,

26:19.560 --> 26:22.760
in the fall of 2017, our project owner,

26:22.760 --> 26:24.210
and through our normal audits,

26:24.210 --> 26:25.930
our annual audits that
we do with the projects,

26:25.930 --> 26:29.020
we caught some financial
anomalies with the management

26:29.020 --> 26:30.403
at the Air Force Academy.

26:31.240 --> 26:34.270
We immediately took action
with a initial investigation

26:34.270 --> 26:38.660
conducted by the project owner
that the Air Force monitored.

26:38.660 --> 26:41.740
Once we found out that
those anomalies led us to

26:41.740 --> 26:43.490
what we thought was fraudulent activity,

26:43.490 --> 26:44.710
we turned those matters over

26:44.710 --> 26:48.160
to the law enforcement
authorities in Colorado Springs,

26:48.160 --> 26:50.260
who conducted their own investigation,

26:50.260 --> 26:52.270
again, that we cooperated with.

26:52.270 --> 26:54.950
Since then, a person who's recently

26:54.950 --> 26:58.260
been charged with financial fraud,

26:58.260 --> 27:00.880
Hunt, I'm sorry, I wasn't
going to say the company,

27:00.880 --> 27:04.850
our project owner there
has agreed to come back

27:04.850 --> 27:08.810
and reimburse the Academy
the $169 thousand,

27:08.810 --> 27:10.400
which is we think is the estimated amount

27:10.400 --> 27:13.370
of the financial fraud,
so that's taken care of.

27:13.370 --> 27:14.820
The matter is still ongoing.

27:14.820 --> 27:17.340
We're respecting the investigative process

27:17.340 --> 27:19.410
and the due process of
the individual charged,

27:19.410 --> 27:21.660
but we continue to
cooperate with authorities

27:22.930 --> 27:25.420
and ensure that these
mechanisms are in place

27:25.420 --> 27:27.470
so that we can catch these things

27:27.470 --> 27:28.900
when they come up each year.

27:28.900 --> 27:30.780
- Okay, well, thank you
for taking action on that.

27:30.780 --> 27:32.810
Please keep the committee informed on

27:32.810 --> 27:35.400
how that comes along in the future.

27:35.400 --> 27:39.590
And my question for each of the
three service branches here,

27:39.590 --> 27:41.963
including the Navy and Marines,

27:42.860 --> 27:46.930
is do you have the necessary
legislative authorities

27:46.930 --> 27:49.780
to improve management
of privatized housing,

27:49.780 --> 27:53.550
and are you able to carry
out your action plan

27:53.550 --> 27:55.723
under your current budget numbers?

27:58.770 --> 28:00.580
- Sir, I think that we absolutely

28:00.580 --> 28:03.770
have enough legislative
authority to handle this problem.

28:03.770 --> 28:06.750
As have been brought to light,
this was really a management

28:06.750 --> 28:10.210
and leadership problem less so
than an authority's problem,

28:10.210 --> 28:12.100
so I think we're ok in that respect.

28:12.100 --> 28:14.810
We probably will need some
help with respect to staffing,

28:14.810 --> 28:18.160
to staffing up some of these
housing offices in legislation,

28:18.160 --> 28:20.080
but I think with respect to authorities

28:20.080 --> 28:22.780
I think we all feel comfortable
that there's nothing lacking

28:22.780 --> 28:24.170
in the authorities themselves.

28:24.170 --> 28:26.810
This is more of a, as
the Chairman mentioned,

28:26.810 --> 28:29.590
paying closer attention to
it, getting better metrics

28:29.590 --> 28:31.040
so we have more leading indicators

28:31.040 --> 28:33.080
of problems before they occur.

28:33.080 --> 28:33.990
- Thank you.

28:33.990 --> 28:34.823
Mr. Henderson?

28:37.530 --> 28:38.640
- I would agree with that.

28:38.640 --> 28:40.950
I think with regard to
legislative authorities,

28:40.950 --> 28:41.783
we have that.

28:41.783 --> 28:43.550
Any constraints that we have are really

28:43.550 --> 28:46.180
within the transactional
documents with the project owners,

28:46.180 --> 28:48.470
and in some cases we need
to go in and adjust those.

28:48.470 --> 28:50.570
For instance, the metrics and
performance incentive fees,

28:50.570 --> 28:51.760
things like that.

28:51.760 --> 28:54.930
And then, with regard to help,
per my opening statement,

28:54.930 --> 28:57.380
we're gonna look to
restaff our housing offices

28:57.380 --> 28:59.040
that were cut during the course

28:59.040 --> 29:01.460
of personnel cuts and sequestration.

29:01.460 --> 29:04.110
We've decided that was clearly a mistake,

29:04.110 --> 29:06.870
and we're askin' for $31
million in an unfunded request

29:06.870 --> 29:09.840
to restaff those back to
their original strength.

29:09.840 --> 29:11.920
- Well, I'll insert an
editorial comment here

29:11.920 --> 29:14.150
before Mr. Beehler comments, and that is

29:15.680 --> 29:17.930
sequestration had some
very unfortunate results.

29:17.930 --> 29:19.610
We know you had to make tough choices

29:19.610 --> 29:22.670
and sometimes unpalatable choices.

29:22.670 --> 29:25.110
We're hopin' that, with
last year's budget,

29:25.110 --> 29:28.040
the current year budget,
and next year's budget

29:28.040 --> 29:29.410
that we're still negotiating,

29:29.410 --> 29:33.620
we have the top line
numbers that really allow us

29:33.620 --> 29:35.270
to get back to where we should be.

29:35.270 --> 29:36.103
Mr. Beehler?

29:37.660 --> 29:41.110
- I echo the comments
that've just been made

29:41.110 --> 29:45.300
by my fellow counterparts in the services.

29:45.300 --> 29:47.140
It applies to the Army.

29:47.140 --> 29:50.640
We're undergoing comprehensive assessment

29:50.640 --> 29:55.100
and what our requirements and needs are.

29:55.100 --> 29:57.880
At this point, we don't feel that we need

29:57.880 --> 30:01.090
additional legislative authorities.

30:01.090 --> 30:04.240
It is clearly, first and foremost,

30:04.240 --> 30:07.900
getting our management-side
of the house in order.

30:07.900 --> 30:12.240
We have already hired 119

30:13.280 --> 30:18.280
additional staff for
our housing authorities.

30:19.970 --> 30:24.220
At the installation level,
we have money put in

30:24.220 --> 30:28.210
for the fiscal year 20 budget to make sure

30:28.210 --> 30:33.210
most of those positions are
sustained going forward.

30:33.230 --> 30:38.170
We know that the private
companies with whom we work

30:38.170 --> 30:43.020
have committed to up to
several hundred additional

30:43.020 --> 30:48.020
to perform some of the
same overarching oversight,

30:49.190 --> 30:53.100
and we will hold them accountable as well,

30:53.100 --> 30:58.100
so we, as I say, we're ongoing assessment,

30:58.650 --> 31:02.210
so we'll have a better
handle in three to six months

31:02.210 --> 31:06.000
as to how effective
we've been in providing

31:06.000 --> 31:08.830
the management oversight we need to have.

31:08.830 --> 31:10.700
We will come back to the committee.

31:10.700 --> 31:12.220
- Okay, thank you all for being here.

31:12.220 --> 31:15.410
Thank you for the first
steps that we're taking.

31:15.410 --> 31:16.760
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

31:16.760 --> 31:18.410
- [Garamendi] Thank you, Mr. Lamborn.

31:18.410 --> 31:20.020
Mr. Kim?

31:20.020 --> 31:22.280
- Thank you for taking the
time to come here today

31:22.280 --> 31:24.040
and talk about some of these next steps

31:24.040 --> 31:25.520
that you're planning to take.

31:25.520 --> 31:27.040
I think that's critically important,

31:27.040 --> 31:29.150
but I just wanna take a step back here

31:29.150 --> 31:32.730
because I wanna make sure that,
as we're talking about this

31:32.730 --> 31:34.750
and as we're thinking
about these next steps,

31:34.750 --> 31:36.670
that we understand that this isn't really

31:36.670 --> 31:39.700
just a policy debate here
about what to implement here.

31:39.700 --> 31:41.270
This is very personal.

31:41.270 --> 31:43.500
This was as personal as
anything that I've seen

31:43.500 --> 31:46.250
in my time in Congress where,
right here in this room,

31:46.250 --> 31:48.620
we had military families telling us

31:48.620 --> 31:51.520
about their immediate needs right now,

31:51.520 --> 31:53.520
so what I'm concerned
about, what I don't have

31:53.520 --> 31:56.240
a good sense leaving
this room right now yet,

31:56.240 --> 31:58.890
is what are you doing right now

31:58.890 --> 32:01.930
to be able to address those
that have immediate concerns,

32:01.930 --> 32:04.460
health concerns, housing
concerns with the places

32:04.460 --> 32:06.440
that they have right now?

32:06.440 --> 32:09.360
And what can you say to
me right now to assure me

32:09.360 --> 32:12.180
that your response to this is at the scale

32:12.180 --> 32:14.500
of the magnitude of the problem at stake?

32:14.500 --> 32:18.720
A number of you have mentioned
how you are doing surveys

32:18.720 --> 32:21.313
of different homes and
the numbers of homes

32:21.313 --> 32:24.810
that have problems are in the thousands,

32:24.810 --> 32:26.870
so have you scaled up?

32:26.870 --> 32:29.730
Are you surging personnel
and resources right now?

32:29.730 --> 32:32.270
Do you have a timeline
in which I can reassure

32:32.270 --> 32:34.200
some of the families
that I'm in touch with

32:34.200 --> 32:35.583
that they're gonna have
the kind of response

32:35.583 --> 32:39.090
that they need on an immediate
and very personal level?

32:39.090 --> 32:41.270
I'd like to just go through
the line here, please.

32:41.270 --> 32:43.590
- Congressman, if I could, let me start.

32:43.590 --> 32:47.500
After the February hearing,
I literally gave out

32:47.500 --> 32:50.970
my email address to some
of the family organizations

32:50.970 --> 32:54.070
that if they did not feel
that they were getting

32:54.070 --> 32:57.330
adequate response, they
could email me directly

32:57.330 --> 32:59.280
and that I would personally get involved.

32:59.280 --> 33:01.970
I've done that on a number of occasions.

33:01.970 --> 33:06.210
I've contacted the individuals
to my left right now.

33:06.210 --> 33:08.270
They have been extremely responsive,

33:08.270 --> 33:12.250
and then the follow-up by
individual to make sure

33:12.250 --> 33:14.383
that we were taking care of issues.

33:15.450 --> 33:17.370
I will speak for my partners

33:17.370 --> 33:20.040
and then allow them to
speak for them themselves,

33:20.040 --> 33:22.600
but the responsiveness that we have,

33:22.600 --> 33:25.900
both in general but to specific issues,

33:25.900 --> 33:28.730
is focused on ensuring we
take care of our soldiers,

33:28.730 --> 33:31.173
sailors, airmen, Marines,
and their families.

33:35.140 --> 33:37.120
- Representative, I
wanna echo those points

33:37.120 --> 33:38.700
and particularly echo your points.

33:38.700 --> 33:41.490
I mean, this is extremely
personal for everybody,

33:41.490 --> 33:43.950
and as I mentioned in my statement,

33:43.950 --> 33:46.610
there are a lot of people
who work very, very hard

33:46.610 --> 33:49.010
and have done an outstanding job in PPV

33:49.010 --> 33:51.020
to ensure these homes
are in good condition

33:51.020 --> 33:52.950
for our sailors and Marines,

33:52.950 --> 33:55.470
but they're now painted
with the same broad brush

33:55.470 --> 33:56.620
and that's a little bit unfair,

33:56.620 --> 33:58.890
but they're taking it
because they recognize

33:58.890 --> 34:01.970
that this is part of a
family responsibility

34:01.970 --> 34:03.940
in the service to handle this.

34:03.940 --> 34:06.110
I have two children on active duty.

34:06.110 --> 34:09.210
One of them has lived
in privatized housing.

34:09.210 --> 34:10.930
It was fantastic for them,

34:10.930 --> 34:13.880
so we know that these are
problems that we have to address.

34:14.720 --> 34:16.780
As I mentioned, we are talking personally,

34:16.780 --> 34:19.210
reaching out personally, to
every single person in the Navy

34:19.210 --> 34:21.510
and Marine Corps who lives
in privatized housing.

34:21.510 --> 34:23.840
Through that process, we've
identified on the Navy side

34:23.840 --> 34:28.620
over four thousand issues,
about 47 hundred issues.

34:28.620 --> 34:30.960
Of those 47, about 28 hundred have asked

34:30.960 --> 34:33.460
for a personal visit, in-person visit,

34:33.460 --> 34:34.800
to try and resolve the issue,

34:34.800 --> 34:36.720
and we're well on the way
at ticking away at that.

34:36.720 --> 34:39.170
I think we've made about
900 of those visits

34:39.170 --> 34:41.070
to address the specific problems.

34:41.070 --> 34:42.030
That's in the Navy,

34:42.030 --> 34:44.280
and the Marine Corps has
about seven thousand,

34:44.280 --> 34:47.210
and they've had seven
thousand personal visits

34:47.210 --> 34:49.450
and follow-up to these questions,

34:49.450 --> 34:52.080
so I think we are taking
it extremely seriously

34:52.080 --> 34:53.880
as well as taking it personally,

34:53.880 --> 34:56.140
but we're trying to do
everything we can immediately

34:56.140 --> 34:58.020
to address the immediate concerns,

34:58.020 --> 35:00.670
but the longer-term issues
are also very important to us.

35:00.670 --> 35:03.170
We just don't wanna seem
like we're overreacting.

35:03.170 --> 35:05.150
We wanna make sure that we
fix this in the long run,

35:05.150 --> 35:06.660
and that's some of the longer-term things

35:06.660 --> 35:08.913
that we're working on
with the partners as well.

35:12.840 --> 35:13.673
- Good morning.

35:15.220 --> 35:17.480
Like Mr. McMahon, my family and I spent

35:17.480 --> 35:20.050
about 18 years in military housing,

35:20.050 --> 35:23.500
some of it privatized, some
of it before privatization,

35:23.500 --> 35:26.500
and I completely understand
how personal this gets

35:26.500 --> 35:28.130
with families when
things aren't going right

35:28.130 --> 35:30.060
or when the family member's deployed

35:30.060 --> 35:31.230
and we're leaving our families

35:31.230 --> 35:33.420
to fend for this on their own.

35:33.420 --> 35:35.313
It's a very difficult situation.

35:36.690 --> 35:38.980
That's where we went in
for the immediate actions

35:38.980 --> 35:40.920
and to ask for 100% review of the health

35:40.920 --> 35:43.830
and safety conditions in our housing.

35:43.830 --> 35:45.670
That resulted, and now our numbers are up

35:45.670 --> 35:48.500
to close to 50 thousand of our families

35:48.500 --> 35:50.130
who live in housing have been contacted,

35:50.130 --> 35:52.840
interviewed, assessed
their safety concerns,

35:52.840 --> 35:55.830
and per my opening statement
where we had come back,

35:55.830 --> 35:58.340
commanders and leaders
went into the house,

35:58.340 --> 36:00.170
validated what the issues were,

36:00.170 --> 36:03.560
and we opened up about
47 hundred work orders

36:03.560 --> 36:05.190
for which they are now surging on

36:05.190 --> 36:06.690
and we're battle tracking here

36:06.690 --> 36:08.610
essentially with the Air Force.

36:08.610 --> 36:10.110
At the rate that we're resolving these,

36:10.110 --> 36:12.040
I expect it to take another 30

36:12.040 --> 36:14.450
to 45 days to close these out.

36:14.450 --> 36:17.550
In some cases where
conditions were unsafe,

36:17.550 --> 36:20.100
we're moving families into safer housing

36:20.100 --> 36:22.420
and taking care of that for them.

36:22.420 --> 36:25.920
And then a huge part of
the loss of trust here

36:25.920 --> 36:29.850
in our assessment was just
a lack of communication,

36:29.850 --> 36:31.367
a lack of understanding of

36:31.367 --> 36:33.450
what a dispute-resolution process,

36:33.450 --> 36:35.050
the lack in roles or responsibilities

36:35.050 --> 36:38.330
of the commanders and leaders,
and a lack of understanding

36:38.330 --> 36:39.960
of maybe the resources
that were available,

36:39.960 --> 36:42.690
so we're workin' really hard to reengage

36:42.690 --> 36:44.430
and communicate better with our families.

36:44.430 --> 36:45.263
- Thank you.

36:45.263 --> 36:46.270
Unfortunately, our time has expired,

36:46.270 --> 36:49.050
but I just wanna press
having tangible timelines

36:49.050 --> 36:50.960
of when we can deliver for these families,

36:50.960 --> 36:53.530
make sure they're getting
the healthcare that they need

36:53.530 --> 36:56.060
to have these remedies in tangible ways.

36:56.060 --> 36:58.210
I just ask that we follow up on that.

36:58.210 --> 36:59.980
Thank you, I yield back.

36:59.980 --> 37:01.820
- Thank you, we're gonna try to keep this

37:01.820 --> 37:03.570
as tight as we possibly can.

37:03.570 --> 37:05.830
We have a lot of members
that would like to speak.

37:05.830 --> 37:06.880
Mr. Scott, you're next.

37:06.880 --> 37:09.020
Oh, before you come on, Mr. Scott,

37:09.020 --> 37:11.320
we've received a statement for the record

37:11.320 --> 37:14.370
from the Military Officer's
Association of America.

37:14.370 --> 37:17.470
Without objection, we'll enter
that into the record here.

37:17.470 --> 37:18.910
Thank you. Mr. Scott?

37:18.910 --> 37:19.743
- Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

37:19.743 --> 37:21.310
Mr. Chairman, I've known General McMahon

37:21.310 --> 37:23.610
for a long time now and I can assure you

37:23.610 --> 37:27.330
that if he's in charge
of resolving an issue,

37:27.330 --> 37:30.010
that you're gonna get
a satisfactory outcome.

37:30.010 --> 37:33.840
He takes it head-on and
has done a wonderful job,

37:33.840 --> 37:36.440
did a wonderful job at
Robins Air Force Base,

37:36.440 --> 37:38.200
and I'm glad he's in the position he's in.

37:38.200 --> 37:40.340
I had a chance to talk to
Mr. Henderson yesterday

37:40.340 --> 37:41.600
for a while.

37:41.600 --> 37:43.070
One of the things that I will tell you

37:43.070 --> 37:46.095
in the Bill of Rights
that is important to me.

37:46.095 --> 37:47.890
In talking to the

37:50.020 --> 37:53.010
men and women that came
to testify before us,

37:53.010 --> 37:56.200
when a contract mandates mediation,

37:56.200 --> 37:59.063
and then that contract has
loser-pay provisions in it,

38:00.400 --> 38:05.400
that could effectively
force a soldier to pay 100%

38:05.440 --> 38:06.763
of their annual income

38:08.451 --> 38:12.270
to carry a housing company,

38:12.270 --> 38:14.440
a multi-million dollar
housing company, to mediation.

38:14.440 --> 38:15.760
That's not acceptable,

38:15.760 --> 38:18.450
and so the loser-pay
provisions of the contracts,

38:18.450 --> 38:20.190
I don't mind the mediation,

38:20.190 --> 38:23.010
I'm happy that the mediator,
as I understand it,

38:23.010 --> 38:26.010
is going to be part of
the chain of command,

38:26.010 --> 38:29.840
but that's not a square
deal or a fair fight

38:29.840 --> 38:32.160
for our soldiers to mandate mediation

38:32.160 --> 38:34.840
and then to mandate
loser-pay on our soldiers.

38:34.840 --> 38:39.840
With that said, Mr. Henderson,
Hurricane Michael hit

38:40.370 --> 38:43.163
the southeastern United
States October the 10th.

38:47.200 --> 38:49.580
Is the most pressing
thing for the Air Force

38:49.580 --> 38:50.970
right now in your position

38:50.970 --> 38:55.753
as head of Installations
a disaster supplemental?

39:03.709 --> 39:08.390
- The most pressing thing
for the Air Force right now

39:08.390 --> 39:11.970
is solvency, getting through FY19,

39:11.970 --> 39:13.830
and a lot of that is
attributed to the money

39:13.830 --> 39:16.920
that we fronted on to
recover from disasters

39:16.920 --> 39:21.920
at Tindal Air Force Base, now
Offutt, earthquakes in Alaska,

39:22.460 --> 39:26.740
and by taking the FY19 funds

39:26.740 --> 39:30.860
and doing exactly what we
believe was the right thing

39:30.860 --> 39:32.130
to help those bases recover

39:32.130 --> 39:34.350
and get those missions back online,

39:34.350 --> 39:36.220
we've asked for supplemental funding,

39:36.220 --> 39:38.530
and at this point without
that supplemental funding,

39:38.530 --> 39:42.700
we're lookin' at very severe
impacts to Air Force solvency

39:42.700 --> 39:44.660
for the rest of FY19.

39:44.660 --> 39:47.113
- Perhaps urgent would've
been a better word,

39:48.380 --> 39:50.187
but I wanna make my
colleagues aware of this,

39:50.187 --> 39:54.233
and I wanna give equal criticism
where criticism is due.

39:58.201 --> 40:00.790
A senator from New York,
a senator from Vermont

40:00.790 --> 40:02.810
refused to allow a vote to push forward

40:02.810 --> 40:06.353
on disaster assistance this past week.

40:07.301 --> 40:08.850
Those of us hit by this
storm have been promised

40:08.850 --> 40:13.180
disaster assistance from
both sides and both chambers

40:14.500 --> 40:17.620
since mid-October that any
bill to open the government

40:17.620 --> 40:19.100
would include the disaster assistance

40:19.100 --> 40:21.380
and the supplemental funding,

40:21.380 --> 40:24.070
including the funding for the Air Force.

40:24.070 --> 40:25.560
That hasn't happened.

40:25.560 --> 40:29.780
Now, I do think that those
games are being played,

40:29.780 --> 40:33.870
and I think that it is
a senator from New York

40:33.870 --> 40:36.710
and a senator from Vermont
predominantly playing those games

40:36.710 --> 40:39.320
but I also think it's
extremely irresponsible

40:40.490 --> 40:42.010
for the Office of Management and Budget

40:42.010 --> 40:46.170
to not submit an official request

40:46.170 --> 40:48.420
for supplemental disaster
assistance funding.

40:53.180 --> 40:56.900
I just can't understand with
the magnitude of the impact

40:56.900 --> 41:00.570
of these storms to our
Air Force, to readiness,

41:00.570 --> 41:05.190
to our installations, to the
men and women in uniform,

41:05.190 --> 41:10.190
I can't understand why our
Office of Management and Budget,

41:10.550 --> 41:11.680
controlled by my party,

41:11.680 --> 41:14.700
didn't submit a request for
supplemental assistance,

41:14.700 --> 41:16.460
which I think is absolutely unacceptable

41:16.460 --> 41:19.540
and I think it's unacceptable
that Senator Schumer

41:19.540 --> 41:20.970
and Senator Leahy have played the games

41:20.970 --> 41:22.970
they've played with disaster assistance,

41:22.970 --> 41:25.060
and I wanna remind everybody we have one

41:25.060 --> 41:28.450
legislative day after
today before we leave,

41:28.450 --> 41:31.013
and we will not return
until April the 29th.

41:31.910 --> 41:33.410
Would it make a difference to you if you

41:33.410 --> 41:37.853
got a disaster bill
today versus, say, May?

41:39.240 --> 41:40.560
- Absolutely, Congressman.

41:40.560 --> 41:42.890
We've already stopped projects,

41:42.890 --> 41:45.540
stopped funding for projects,
in order to preserve

41:45.540 --> 41:48.420
those funds for readiness needs.

41:48.420 --> 41:52.360
We're impacting aircraft
and satellite repair,

41:52.360 --> 41:54.940
and at some point we'll be stopping

41:54.940 --> 41:56.980
or slowing down recovery
at Tindal and we'll only do

41:56.980 --> 41:59.470
life, health, and safety things at Offutt.

41:59.470 --> 42:02.408
By deferring that money,
since it's one-year money,

42:02.408 --> 42:04.620
if there is supplemental funding,

42:04.620 --> 42:06.840
that means we have to go
back and work twice as fast

42:06.840 --> 42:08.880
to get that executed
at the end of the year.

42:08.880 --> 42:10.680
- [Scott] My time is about to expire.

42:10.680 --> 42:11.950
I have a tremendous
amount of respect for you.

42:11.950 --> 42:12.900
I apologize for interrupting you,

42:12.900 --> 42:15.310
but you're also, according the Air Force,

42:15.310 --> 42:18.550
going to cut 18 thousand
training and flying hours

42:19.810 --> 42:21.540
starting over the next couple of months.

42:21.540 --> 42:22.533
Is that correct?

42:23.408 --> 42:25.210
- That's the intended consequence

42:25.210 --> 42:26.680
without supplemental funding.

42:26.680 --> 42:27.680
- [Scott] Thank you.

42:29.150 --> 42:30.323
- Thank you, Mr. Scott.

42:31.880 --> 42:34.090
I will control myself, although I will say

42:34.090 --> 42:35.970
there was a billion
dollars sloshing around

42:35.970 --> 42:37.940
in the Department of
Defense that could have

42:37.940 --> 42:40.100
been made available for this purpose.

42:40.100 --> 42:44.320
Let me now move to our next, Ms. Houlahan.

42:44.320 --> 42:45.510
- Hi, and thank you,

42:45.510 --> 42:48.110
and Mr. Scott, I also
appreciate your comments too,

42:48.110 --> 42:50.441
and I don't think it's a
good idea to play games.

42:50.441 --> 42:53.140
I trained at Tindal Air Force Base,

42:53.140 --> 42:54.880
but I also have family in Puerto Rico

42:54.880 --> 42:56.840
and I feel like we're playing
with everybody's lives

42:56.840 --> 43:00.480
in these partisan games, and
so I appreciate your comments.

43:00.480 --> 43:03.810
I also am a third-generation
military member myself.

43:03.810 --> 43:06.520
My dad and my grandfather
served full careers in the Navy,

43:06.520 --> 43:08.700
and my brother and I grew
up in military housing.

43:08.700 --> 43:10.900
My mom and her five
brothers and sisters grew up

43:10.900 --> 43:12.700
in military housing off and on,

43:12.700 --> 43:16.230
and so this is personal to
me too for a lot of reasons.

43:16.230 --> 43:20.610
And so my questions first are
sort of tactical in nature,

43:20.610 --> 43:23.630
and then are maybe a little
bit more personal in nature.

43:23.630 --> 43:26.020
One is is that we've talked
a little bit about readiness

43:26.020 --> 43:28.510
and whether or not people
are genuinely gonna be able

43:28.510 --> 43:31.280
to deploy when they have
issues like this at home,

43:31.280 --> 43:33.490
but a second question is
how 'bout recruitment?

43:33.490 --> 43:36.120
Have you seen any sort
of implications to this

43:36.120 --> 43:39.430
in terms of recruitment
because of this narrative

43:39.430 --> 43:41.810
that's been following
military housing around?

43:41.810 --> 43:42.950
- Congresswoman, I'll start,

43:42.950 --> 43:45.470
and then I'll turn it
over to the services.

43:45.470 --> 43:48.950
We all understand that we
recruit the individual,

43:48.950 --> 43:52.047
we retain the family, and
they care about four things.

43:52.047 --> 43:55.760
Our military families are
tremendously resilient,

43:55.760 --> 43:58.690
and they can go with just
about any challenges they face.

43:58.690 --> 44:01.820
All they ask for is a
safe place to live in,

44:01.820 --> 44:04.890
adequate medical attention,
good schools for their kids,

44:04.890 --> 44:07.240
and, when we move'em, we
don't break all their stuff,

44:07.240 --> 44:09.163
and so this is an integral part.

44:10.350 --> 44:13.340
In reality, we're working
those issues today.

44:13.340 --> 44:16.970
I personally have two of those
four that are on my plate.

44:16.970 --> 44:19.150
We are dead serious about making sure

44:19.150 --> 44:21.760
that we provide our military families,

44:21.760 --> 44:23.900
whether on installation or off,

44:23.900 --> 44:26.750
with a safe place to live
and somethin' they can--

44:26.750 --> 44:28.120
- I guess I only have three minutes' time.

44:28.120 --> 44:30.830
Has anybody any data about whether or not

44:30.830 --> 44:33.453
this has impacted a
recruitment in any form?

44:35.010 --> 44:37.550
- Representative, we don't
have any data on that just yet.

44:37.550 --> 44:41.050
We are obviously getting
pressurized on recruiting

44:41.050 --> 44:43.140
because of the state of the economy.

44:43.140 --> 44:44.590
That's always gonna cause us issues,

44:44.590 --> 44:47.330
but we haven't seen
anything yet related to this

44:47.330 --> 44:50.320
that's impacting either recruiting
or retention in the Navy.

44:50.320 --> 44:51.840
- Thank you, and my second question

44:51.840 --> 44:54.950
is also a two-part question, and I,

44:54.950 --> 44:57.810
in addition to being a former
military member, a veteran,

44:57.810 --> 45:00.850
I am also a mom and I spent
the last few years of my career

45:00.850 --> 45:02.660
focused on early childhood development,

45:02.660 --> 45:05.460
pre-K through fourth grade
literacy particularly.

45:05.460 --> 45:07.870
We know that kids under six
who are exposed to things

45:07.870 --> 45:10.530
like lead and like mold
and those sorts of things

45:10.530 --> 45:13.750
end up experiencing
pretty significant delays.

45:13.750 --> 45:16.180
I know that, Mr. Henderson,
you talked a little bit

45:16.180 --> 45:18.830
about the 50 thousand people
who you had documented.

45:18.830 --> 45:20.900
Have we quantified at all how many kids

45:20.900 --> 45:23.533
under six have been impacted by this?

45:25.778 --> 45:28.025
- Ma'am, we have not quantified numbers

45:28.025 --> 45:29.670
for children under six.

45:29.670 --> 45:31.500
- And my second part of the question is,

45:31.500 --> 45:34.750
if we haven't quantified
that, perhaps we should,

45:34.750 --> 45:38.630
but has there been any
effort to put some sort of

45:38.630 --> 45:41.500
teeth into this by
identifying through teachers

45:41.500 --> 45:43.950
or daycare providers or parents themselves

45:43.950 --> 45:45.570
sort of the signs that you should look for

45:45.570 --> 45:48.210
if your child has been impacted by mold

45:48.210 --> 45:50.363
or your child has been impacted by lead?

45:53.440 --> 45:55.020
- Ma'am, I'd like to
take that for the record,

45:55.020 --> 45:56.360
it's an important question and I need

45:56.360 --> 45:57.790
to get you a detailed response.

45:57.790 --> 46:01.320
We've done some communications
with mold awareness

46:01.320 --> 46:03.610
for our families who move into the homes,

46:03.610 --> 46:06.240
especially when we have
ones that are prone to mold,

46:06.240 --> 46:07.880
in areas that are prone to mold.

46:07.880 --> 46:09.410
I don't know that we've
reached out to teachers

46:09.410 --> 46:12.140
and counselors and outside
folks like that, though.

46:12.140 --> 46:14.240
- Congresswoman, if I
could add to that as well,

46:14.240 --> 46:18.050
we have created within the
Office of Secretary Defense

46:18.050 --> 46:20.650
a team of both our military construction

46:20.650 --> 46:23.520
or family housing personnel
plus our medical folks

46:23.520 --> 46:26.840
to begin to look at where
there is a cross utilization

46:26.840 --> 46:28.970
of some of the experiences that we've had.

46:28.970 --> 46:32.620
An integral part of that is
one of our deputy assistant

46:32.620 --> 46:35.600
secretaries who happens
to be a pediatrician,

46:35.600 --> 46:37.240
who happens to be an expert

46:37.240 --> 46:40.560
in the effects of both lead and mold,

46:40.560 --> 46:43.820
to help us better understand
how we ought to move forward,

46:43.820 --> 46:46.070
so we're not where we want to be with that

46:46.070 --> 46:48.940
but we are looking at that
and have an understanding

46:48.940 --> 46:50.830
that we need to do a
better job in the future

46:50.830 --> 46:53.650
of being able to respond to
the issues of our children.

46:53.650 --> 46:55.320
- And this has something
to do with sort of

46:55.320 --> 46:57.270
what Representative Kim was talking about,

46:57.270 --> 46:59.710
which is I think that we can all agree

46:59.710 --> 47:00.890
that we're in a bad place.

47:00.890 --> 47:03.370
I think what we need to agree
on is what the path forward is

47:03.370 --> 47:06.240
and how we, I'm not an
engineer, how we quantify it,

47:06.240 --> 47:08.410
how we measure it, how we move forward

47:08.410 --> 47:10.710
with discreet programs
that will address it,

47:10.710 --> 47:12.610
and I'm just sort of
poking around for that.

47:12.610 --> 47:14.290
I only have a half a minute left.

47:14.290 --> 47:17.290
Does anybody any sort of
quantifiable discreet programs

47:17.290 --> 47:18.670
that are out there to
address these issues,

47:18.670 --> 47:21.913
particularly pre-K or early
childhood development issues?

47:23.000 --> 47:27.510
- Ma'am, the Army has
comprehensive testing

47:27.510 --> 47:32.110
of children under six for lead,

47:32.110 --> 47:36.150
particularly focused on
housing from pre-1978

47:39.090 --> 47:43.540
and has been able to track data that shows

47:45.600 --> 47:50.600
that children with lead in
their systems at that age

47:53.160 --> 47:55.830
within the greater Army community,

47:55.830 --> 47:58.560
all children are tested for lead

47:58.560 --> 48:03.560
whether they're in the
78-old housing or not,

48:03.580 --> 48:05.800
and the vast majority,

48:05.800 --> 48:10.350
which is an extremely small
minority of such children,

48:10.350 --> 48:15.350
are actually they reside
outside military housing.

48:17.823 --> 48:20.370
- [Houlahan] And I'm terribly
sorry, I've run out of time,

48:20.370 --> 48:24.120
but I'm happy to take the rest
of your answer on the record.

48:24.120 --> 48:27.900
- Happy to do it, the point
is that we test the children

48:27.900 --> 48:30.390
regardless of where they are housed

48:30.390 --> 48:33.380
and track it appropriately
through their development.

48:33.380 --> 48:34.693
- [Houlahan] Thank you, sir.

48:36.250 --> 48:38.800
- Ms. Houlahan, you
raised an important issue,

48:38.800 --> 48:42.820
one that the committee has
become aware of a document

48:42.820 --> 48:46.450
produced by the Navy and Marine
Corps Public Health Center

48:46.450 --> 48:48.700
that seems to discourage clinicians

48:48.700 --> 48:51.770
from suggesting that a patient's home

48:51.770 --> 48:54.460
could be contributing to their condition,

48:54.460 --> 48:57.417
and to, and here I quote,

48:57.417 --> 49:02.130
"avoid commenting on the
habitability, integrity,

49:02.130 --> 49:05.700
and remediation requirements
for specific buildings."

49:05.700 --> 49:06.533
End quote.

49:08.090 --> 49:11.300
I am sure the Navy has taken
steps to rescind that memo

49:11.300 --> 49:13.330
and to send out an appropriate one.

49:13.330 --> 49:14.240
We'll let it go at that.

49:14.240 --> 49:16.163
I'd like now to turn to Mr. Bergman.

49:17.820 --> 49:19.070
- Thank you, Mr. Chairman,

49:19.070 --> 49:21.340
and thanks to all of you for being here.

49:21.340 --> 49:25.400
I heard someone mention it,
about the role of the commander,

49:25.400 --> 49:29.460
and when you think about the
role of a unit commander,

49:29.460 --> 49:32.357
whether it's let's say go right
down the platoon commander,

49:32.357 --> 49:35.330
the second lieutenant
and the platoon sergeant.

49:35.330 --> 49:40.190
Okay, we know that the
role of the command team

49:40.190 --> 49:43.280
at any unit level is not
just on the battlefield.

49:43.280 --> 49:46.920
It's 24-seven, if you're
deployed it's one thing.

49:46.920 --> 49:50.130
If you're in garrison, it's another thing,

49:50.130 --> 49:54.740
but it's the welfare of your
troops and their families,

49:54.740 --> 49:57.030
and I was glad to hear you mention that

49:57.030 --> 49:59.893
because that is one of the
challenges, as you know,

50:00.870 --> 50:03.610
as we bring in the all
recruited force here

50:03.610 --> 50:07.390
and its third-generation, is
that it's not a nine to five

50:07.390 --> 50:08.810
Monday through Friday job.

50:08.810 --> 50:11.860
You have responsibility
for the health and welfare

50:11.860 --> 50:13.910
of all of your Marines, soldiers, sailors,

50:13.910 --> 50:16.263
airmen, Coast Guardsmen, et cetera,

50:18.080 --> 50:22.110
and I applaud your efforts
to develop that role

50:22.110 --> 50:24.270
in conjunction with the continuing role

50:24.270 --> 50:28.580
of the base commander and
how that all relates then

50:28.580 --> 50:31.710
to those being served, the families,

50:31.710 --> 50:34.060
and then how largely then it falls

50:34.060 --> 50:37.000
into the base commander's lap in dealing

50:37.000 --> 50:40.010
with the Patricians or Lincoln

50:40.010 --> 50:45.010
or whoever the PPV owner
of the property is.

50:45.270 --> 50:49.820
This is evolving, and
we know we have issues,

50:49.820 --> 50:54.040
but I applaud you and whatever we

50:54.040 --> 50:58.190
as Congress can do to back you up

50:58.190 --> 51:02.820
as you develop that role
of those various commanders

51:02.820 --> 51:07.820
and then with the companies,
that is gonna be our success.

51:07.820 --> 51:10.320
We'll get through this, but
I just thank you for that,

51:10.320 --> 51:13.780
and then I'll buy back
some of the valuable thing

51:13.780 --> 51:18.343
that we cannot ever give back
is time, and I yield back.

51:19.830 --> 51:23.020
- [Garamendi] Mr. Bergman,
thank you so very, very much.

51:23.020 --> 51:25.453
We all look for more time. Ms. Gabbard.

51:26.350 --> 51:28.460
- Thank you very much,
thank you gentlemen.

51:28.460 --> 51:33.100
I'd like to follow up
on the focus on command.

51:33.100 --> 51:35.540
I think each of you responded
to the Chairman's question

51:35.540 --> 51:38.950
about the important role
that first-line leaders have

51:38.950 --> 51:40.370
all the way up the chain of command

51:40.370 --> 51:42.053
to the installation commander.

51:42.920 --> 51:46.690
I think it's been a common
feeling that's been addressed

51:46.690 --> 51:49.420
as more and more of this
issue has been exposed

51:49.420 --> 51:54.270
about the lack of role that
command has played thus far,

51:54.270 --> 51:56.630
and so my question is, as you've said,

51:56.630 --> 51:58.330
this will be the focus going forward.

51:58.330 --> 52:02.320
What will change so that
the command is empowered

52:02.320 --> 52:03.610
to actually do something about it?

52:03.610 --> 52:05.560
It's one thing to be
informed of the issue.

52:05.560 --> 52:07.590
It's another thing to
actually be empowered.

52:07.590 --> 52:10.460
Were they not empowered
to take action to address

52:10.460 --> 52:13.210
some of these problems with
the contractors previously?

52:14.590 --> 52:17.470
If not, what will change so
that they can going forward?

52:17.470 --> 52:18.900
Mr. McMahon?

52:18.900 --> 52:21.720
- Congresswoman, thank
you for the question.

52:21.720 --> 52:23.730
If you go back early in the program

52:23.730 --> 52:25.960
when folks didn't think
they understood it,

52:25.960 --> 52:29.790
we had very comprehensive
education programs for our leaders

52:29.790 --> 52:32.900
to describe to them what their role was,

52:32.900 --> 52:34.760
what authorities they did not have,

52:34.760 --> 52:36.430
what authorities they had,

52:36.430 --> 52:38.790
so that they could effectively oversee

52:38.790 --> 52:40.540
the privatization effort.

52:40.540 --> 52:42.570
Over time, as we became comfortable,

52:42.570 --> 52:44.880
as we looked at the metrics
and perceived the metrics

52:44.880 --> 52:47.040
to tell us it was going well, as you know,

52:47.040 --> 52:48.400
we have an infinite number of issues,

52:48.400 --> 52:51.030
a finite amount of time
in terms of training.

52:51.030 --> 52:53.330
This, quite frankly, is something
that fell off the scope.

52:53.330 --> 52:56.460
We thought it was going
fine, and so we reduced

52:56.460 --> 52:58.860
and then, in some cases,
actually eliminated

52:58.860 --> 53:02.220
that education as part of
our leadership development

53:02.220 --> 53:04.000
for our leaders at all levels.

53:04.000 --> 53:06.850
The reality is of when
we look at this today,

53:06.850 --> 53:10.250
it was an issue that we
should not have dropped off,

53:10.250 --> 53:12.630
and the services are taking action today

53:12.630 --> 53:15.010
to reinstitutionalize that training

53:15.010 --> 53:17.370
that was integral a decade ago,

53:17.370 --> 53:20.990
but over time as we've continued
to reduce that training,

53:20.990 --> 53:23.810
has fallen off the scope, and
I'll let them comment further.

53:23.810 --> 53:24.643
- Thank you.

53:25.510 --> 53:26.730
- Representative, I think it's a really,

53:26.730 --> 53:28.230
really good, important question

53:28.230 --> 53:29.370
because some of the things that we can do

53:29.370 --> 53:32.050
at the command level I
think are very, very simple

53:32.050 --> 53:33.923
and not sophisticated things at all.

53:34.910 --> 53:37.780
Asking our junior leaders to have

53:37.780 --> 53:39.420
a face-to-face conversation

53:39.420 --> 53:41.347
with their people once
a week and ask them,

53:41.347 --> 53:43.017
"How are things going with your housing?"

53:43.017 --> 53:44.470
"How are things going with your family?"

53:44.470 --> 53:47.190
Look'em in the eye and
just ask those questions,

53:47.190 --> 53:48.710
that's not a high-tech solution,

53:48.710 --> 53:50.720
but that would solve a
lot of these problems.

53:50.720 --> 53:53.950
The biggest problem from my
perspective in looking at this

53:53.950 --> 53:56.400
was finding out about issues

53:56.400 --> 53:58.660
after they had become major problems,

53:58.660 --> 54:00.630
so we need to have much
better systems in ways

54:00.630 --> 54:02.600
to understand issues as they emerge,

54:02.600 --> 54:06.590
as we start seeing trends,
and the data is all there.

54:06.590 --> 54:10.380
Most of our partners
manage these properties

54:10.380 --> 54:12.530
using the same data system.

54:12.530 --> 54:13.970
We just have to be able to get into there

54:13.970 --> 54:15.620
and understand when trends are happening

54:15.620 --> 54:18.240
so we can measure how long it's taking

54:18.240 --> 54:21.080
and we can start raising the
alarm bells at the right time,

54:21.080 --> 54:24.070
so that's sort of more on
the sophisticated data side,

54:24.070 --> 54:26.455
but to your point, we have to emphasize

54:26.455 --> 54:30.790
with our younger leaders
how important it is

54:30.790 --> 54:32.330
to have those types of conversations

54:32.330 --> 54:33.490
because of their responsibility

54:33.490 --> 54:35.923
to the member and their families.

54:38.380 --> 54:40.580
- I'm gonna do something here.

54:40.580 --> 54:43.890
Mr. Beehler, you've been
kind of on the far edge

54:43.890 --> 54:46.210
of this table, so if we
can jump over to you,

54:46.210 --> 54:48.620
then we'll come back to the Air Force.

54:48.620 --> 54:51.813
- I'll just add another
follow-up to that, Mr. Beehler,

54:52.866 --> 54:54.910
that's linked to this
but also to something

54:54.910 --> 54:58.450
you mentioned earlier
about making some changes

54:58.450 --> 55:01.453
that will reward some of
the private contractors.

55:02.640 --> 55:05.840
From my standpoint, we're
talking about a basic level

55:05.840 --> 55:08.610
of service that we as taxpayers

55:08.610 --> 55:10.710
are paying these companies to provide

55:10.710 --> 55:13.420
for our service members
and their families,

55:13.420 --> 55:14.860
so I guess my first question is,

55:14.860 --> 55:16.920
as we're talking about empowerment,

55:16.920 --> 55:18.730
we're also talking about accountability,

55:18.730 --> 55:21.240
so before we start talking about rewards,

55:21.240 --> 55:24.350
I think we first need to
address how these contractors

55:24.350 --> 55:27.310
are being held accountable for providing

55:27.310 --> 55:28.810
what we are paying them to do.

55:30.380 --> 55:34.473
- Thank you, Representative,
and what I meant by,

55:35.382 --> 55:37.360
and I should've put it in quotes,

55:37.360 --> 55:41.510
rewarding the private companies is that

55:42.820 --> 55:47.820
every 90 days, and I think this
applies across the services,

55:49.310 --> 55:53.410
there is an incentive fee determination

55:53.410 --> 55:56.540
that is made by the garrison commander

55:56.540 --> 56:00.800
based on performance of
the private companies,

56:00.800 --> 56:05.800
and it is the perfect
opportunity and responsibility

56:07.990 --> 56:12.590
for the companies to be, if
you will, judged and rated

56:12.590 --> 56:17.590
so that if the companies have
not done well in those 90 days

56:19.700 --> 56:23.440
they don't get 100% of the incentive fees.

56:23.440 --> 56:26.760
In some cases, they
might not get any percent

56:26.760 --> 56:28.540
of the incentive fees,

56:28.540 --> 56:32.480
and the point that I was
attempting to make is

56:32.480 --> 56:37.410
that the garrison commanders,
in the case of the Army,

56:37.410 --> 56:41.130
had all too often sort of
rubber stamped the request

56:41.130 --> 56:45.650
for 100% award of
incentive fees per quarter.

56:45.650 --> 56:47.330
That's no longer the case.

56:47.330 --> 56:51.003
We actually have removed,
for the time being,

56:52.940 --> 56:55.580
and brought it up to Army headquarters

56:55.580 --> 56:57.590
to A make those determinations,

56:57.590 --> 57:02.590
but more importantly we're
training the garrison commanders

57:02.700 --> 57:06.050
to know their responsibility in this area

57:06.050 --> 57:11.050
and that they will take
advantage of the data collection

57:11.790 --> 57:15.170
on, for instance, the
work order responsiveness

57:15.170 --> 57:16.510
and performance--

57:16.510 --> 57:19.660
- Thank you, Mr. Beehler, I'm
sorry, my time is expired.

57:19.660 --> 57:21.780
It's obviously very disturbing to see

57:21.780 --> 57:26.780
that this kind of rubber
stamp 100% incentive payments

57:26.780 --> 57:27.980
were being made previously,

57:27.980 --> 57:30.240
glad to hear that it's not any longer.

57:30.240 --> 57:32.610
I hope we have the opportunity
to address the fact that,

57:32.610 --> 57:34.970
if a contractor is not performing,

57:34.970 --> 57:37.920
if they are underperforming
and not meeting their marks,

57:37.920 --> 57:39.180
we're not talking about getting

57:39.180 --> 57:41.970
a lower percentage of incentives.

57:41.970 --> 57:45.070
We're talking about
accountability to make sure

57:45.070 --> 57:48.160
that they are actually doing
what they are contracted to do

57:48.160 --> 57:49.310
before you even begin to have

57:49.310 --> 57:51.010
a conversation about incentives.

57:51.010 --> 57:51.843
Thank you.

57:52.966 --> 57:54.811
- [Garamendi] Thank you.

57:54.811 --> 57:55.644
Ms. Horn?

57:57.451 --> 57:58.284
- Thank you.

57:58.284 --> 57:59.760
Thank you all for being here today,

57:59.760 --> 58:02.160
and thank you to the
Chairman and ranking member

58:02.160 --> 58:04.713
for this critical conversation.

58:05.688 --> 58:09.150
I have many things I want to ask and say.

58:09.150 --> 58:10.570
First, I'm glad we're addressing this,

58:10.570 --> 58:14.450
but second, I still remain
horrified at the stories

58:14.450 --> 58:17.680
that I have heard from service
members and their families

58:17.680 --> 58:20.398
in my community and across the country,

58:20.398 --> 58:23.560
and as we continue to address this,

58:23.560 --> 58:27.170
there's a couple of things that
I want to start off with is

58:28.310 --> 58:31.970
going further into the
conversation around the culture,

58:31.970 --> 58:35.840
the commanders and how this was allowed

58:35.840 --> 58:38.020
to get to the place where it was,

58:38.020 --> 58:40.350
because I've heard a couple of you say

58:40.350 --> 58:44.330
that you're beginning to address it

58:44.330 --> 58:46.330
and that these were a few people

58:46.330 --> 58:49.134
and that I am incredibly
troubled by the fact

58:49.134 --> 58:54.050
that these companies were
getting their full incentive pay

58:54.050 --> 58:56.530
even as thousands of
people across this country

58:56.530 --> 59:01.530
and enlisted and their
families who are suffering.

59:01.750 --> 59:06.120
I have stories from my district and images

59:06.120 --> 59:07.880
of these things that
were being covered up,

59:07.880 --> 59:10.060
and it's unacceptable.

59:10.060 --> 59:13.850
And, as we move forward
to fix this problem,

59:13.850 --> 59:18.560
one, I wanna find out if you
have begun to make any plans

59:18.560 --> 59:22.130
to reimburse these families
for the out-of-pocket costs

59:22.130 --> 59:26.060
for things including mold
testing, medical care,

59:26.060 --> 59:30.700
and so many other things
that our military families

59:30.700 --> 59:34.520
have had to incur as a
result of the mismanagement

59:34.520 --> 59:39.203
and problems that these
companies have caused.

59:45.327 --> 59:46.500
- Representative, thanks for the question.

59:46.500 --> 59:51.320
I don't know that we have been presented

59:51.320 --> 59:53.130
with opportunities to do that.

59:53.130 --> 59:56.550
However, once we are, I am quite
certain we'll look at those

59:56.550 --> 59:59.160
and figure out a way to compensate

59:59.160 --> 01:00:00.670
if there was a problem like that.

01:00:00.670 --> 01:00:02.920
I just am not aware, and I'll
take that one for the record

01:00:02.920 --> 01:00:05.420
to find out exactly what's
happened in the past

01:00:05.420 --> 01:00:07.320
with respect to those types of issues.

01:00:09.610 --> 01:00:12.653
- And for the Air Force,
what we've done is ensured,

01:00:14.030 --> 01:00:16.050
in an effort to better
communicate with our residents,

01:00:16.050 --> 01:00:16.883
make sure that they know

01:00:16.883 --> 01:00:19.190
they have resources inside the Air Force

01:00:19.190 --> 01:00:23.790
and legal assistance
resources inside the Air Force

01:00:23.790 --> 01:00:28.770
to request claims and make
claims against the project owner

01:00:28.770 --> 01:00:30.100
for costs like mold testing,

01:00:30.100 --> 01:00:32.680
maybe damages to furniture or something

01:00:32.680 --> 01:00:36.413
because of negligence, or
extended medical care costs,

01:00:37.390 --> 01:00:39.260
so we provided the information for them

01:00:39.260 --> 01:00:40.760
to better go about doing that.

01:00:44.061 --> 01:00:47.457
- In the case of the Army,
the project companies

01:00:48.520 --> 01:00:50.950
are reimbursing family.

01:00:50.950 --> 01:00:55.020
We'll take further details for the record,

01:00:55.020 --> 01:00:59.820
but this has been ongoing at least over

01:00:59.820 --> 01:01:02.233
the past several months, if not longer.

01:01:03.820 --> 01:01:05.050
- Thank you.

01:01:05.050 --> 01:01:07.720
And, following up on a
couple of other things

01:01:07.720 --> 01:01:09.630
from Ms. Gabbard and Mr. Scott.

01:01:09.630 --> 01:01:14.420
One, I wanna echo, and
I appreciate that being

01:01:14.420 --> 01:01:16.490
on this committee and
working with the concern

01:01:16.490 --> 01:01:18.930
across the aisle that these are not issues

01:01:18.930 --> 01:01:20.010
that should ever be partisan,

01:01:20.010 --> 01:01:22.680
and we should be placing the well-being

01:01:22.680 --> 01:01:26.710
of our service members
above everything else.

01:01:26.710 --> 01:01:29.570
So, to Mr. Scott's point,
I just wanna reiterate

01:01:29.570 --> 01:01:32.510
that the fact that we
have loser-pay provisions

01:01:32.510 --> 01:01:36.080
and forced mediation from enlisted

01:01:36.080 --> 01:01:37.650
is something that I would like

01:01:37.650 --> 01:01:39.540
to say I think we need to address,

01:01:39.540 --> 01:01:42.520
and Mr. McMahon, I would like
to know if there's any plans

01:01:42.520 --> 01:01:45.370
to begin to address those issues.

01:01:45.370 --> 01:01:48.810
- Congresswoman, as you
look at the Bill of Rights

01:01:48.810 --> 01:01:51.160
that we're putting
together that we've shared

01:01:51.160 --> 01:01:54.500
with the committee so we
can get your specific input,

01:01:54.500 --> 01:01:57.990
next week we'll sit with
the family organizations,

01:01:57.990 --> 01:02:00.230
share it with them so
they have the opportunity,

01:02:00.230 --> 01:02:01.780
but that's exactly what we want

01:02:01.780 --> 01:02:04.700
to ensure we deal with
with the Bill of Rights,

01:02:04.700 --> 01:02:08.700
that it's clear to both
our private partners

01:02:08.700 --> 01:02:11.320
as well as to our members
what they can expect

01:02:11.320 --> 01:02:14.460
and set those expectations
before we get into a situation

01:02:14.460 --> 01:02:16.980
where we're trying to resolve this.

01:02:16.980 --> 01:02:21.550
- And, finally, I want to
circle back one more time

01:02:23.082 --> 01:02:26.640
to Ms. Gabbard's point
about the incentive fees

01:02:26.640 --> 01:02:29.680
and if there's been a
consideration that these fees

01:02:29.680 --> 01:02:32.990
could be recovered that
were previously paid,

01:02:32.990 --> 01:02:36.220
if there's any pathway to
recover some of those fees

01:02:36.220 --> 01:02:39.030
for these properties that
were clearly mismanaged

01:02:39.030 --> 01:02:44.030
and are now requiring costs
be outlaid for healthcare,

01:02:44.280 --> 01:02:46.903
for so many other things
for our service members.

01:02:51.130 --> 01:02:54.420
- Congresswoman, I'll take
it for the four of us.

01:02:54.420 --> 01:02:56.360
I'm unaware, I'll go back and talk

01:02:56.360 --> 01:02:58.530
to our acquisition personnel
to see if there is,

01:02:58.530 --> 01:03:02.020
but I'm unaware of any
tools since we have made

01:03:02.020 --> 01:03:04.920
the commitment at this point
that they could be recovered.

01:03:06.803 --> 01:03:09.020
- Thank you, my time is expired.

01:03:09.020 --> 01:03:10.663
- [Garamendi] Thank you. Ms. Haaland?

01:03:12.050 --> 01:03:16.000
- Thank you very much, Chairman,
and thank you all so much

01:03:16.000 --> 01:03:18.123
for taking the time to be here today.

01:03:19.790 --> 01:03:21.970
Like some of my colleagues,

01:03:21.970 --> 01:03:23.930
I was raised in military housing as well.

01:03:23.930 --> 01:03:27.840
My dad had a 30-year
career in the Marine Corps,

01:03:27.840 --> 01:03:31.100
and so I spent my entire childhood

01:03:31.100 --> 01:03:33.510
growing up on military bases,

01:03:33.510 --> 01:03:38.510
and it's interesting that,
back when I was a kid,

01:03:39.130 --> 01:03:42.550
before you could move out,
they'd come in with a white glove

01:03:42.550 --> 01:03:46.490
and go in every corner
and look in every vent.

01:03:46.490 --> 01:03:51.093
I mean, it was as disciplined
as my father's career was,

01:03:53.178 --> 01:03:55.580
so it is a little disheartening

01:03:55.580 --> 01:04:00.270
to have learned about
this over the past months,

01:04:00.270 --> 01:04:05.270
and it's happening in fact in
my home state of New Mexico

01:04:05.280 --> 01:04:07.383
where the climate is extremely dry,

01:04:09.070 --> 01:04:13.900
so I'm disheartened to say the least.

01:04:14.770 --> 01:04:17.290
But, in addition to everything

01:04:17.290 --> 01:04:18.720
that's been mentioned here today,

01:04:18.720 --> 01:04:21.590
I've heard reports that
retaliations still persist

01:04:21.590 --> 01:04:24.740
against military families
who are raising concerns

01:04:24.740 --> 01:04:27.210
about the conditions of their housing.

01:04:27.210 --> 01:04:30.930
This is extremely troubling,
as retaliation is a big part

01:04:30.930 --> 01:04:33.650
of the breach of trust between
the Department of Defense

01:04:33.650 --> 01:04:36.360
and families that lead
these families to come

01:04:36.360 --> 01:04:39.380
to the press and to
Congress in the first place,

01:04:39.380 --> 01:04:41.190
and it must stop.

01:04:41.190 --> 01:04:46.190
I realize that, for some military wives,

01:04:46.250 --> 01:04:50.260
one way they can communicate
with other families

01:04:50.260 --> 01:04:51.930
is through social media,

01:04:51.930 --> 01:04:55.750
and so I realize that that is one way

01:04:55.750 --> 01:04:57.370
they've been trying to figure out

01:04:57.370 --> 01:05:01.103
who all is suffering from the
same issues that they are.

01:05:01.960 --> 01:05:05.860
So, I wanted to ask each
of you if you commit now

01:05:05.860 --> 01:05:09.470
to adopting and enforcing
a zero tolerance policy

01:05:09.470 --> 01:05:13.390
on retaliation against any
families, any military families,

01:05:13.390 --> 01:05:16.320
who are raising concerns
about the housing,

01:05:16.320 --> 01:05:18.270
including within the chain of command

01:05:18.270 --> 01:05:21.187
on the bases where our
service members live and serve

01:05:21.187 --> 01:05:23.860
and the housing offices
that should be advocating

01:05:23.860 --> 01:05:27.400
for our military families and
among the private contractors

01:05:27.400 --> 01:05:29.210
who we are paying to serve our families.

01:05:29.210 --> 01:05:31.730
So, if each of you could let me know

01:05:31.730 --> 01:05:35.320
if the zero tolerance
policy on retaliation

01:05:35.320 --> 01:05:38.130
is happening now and
if it's being enforced.

01:05:38.130 --> 01:05:41.950
- Congresswoman, I'll tell you
that we have zero tolerance

01:05:41.950 --> 01:05:44.500
for it to the point of
proactively giving out

01:05:44.500 --> 01:05:47.340
our email addresses so if we hear of it,

01:05:47.340 --> 01:05:49.610
folks can reach out to us to take care.

01:05:49.610 --> 01:05:51.883
But, absolutely, a zero tolerance.

01:05:52.720 --> 01:05:54.550
- And, for the department
of the Navy representative,

01:05:54.550 --> 01:05:55.960
absolutely that is the case.

01:05:55.960 --> 01:05:59.290
We've made it very clear to
our partners it's unacceptable

01:05:59.290 --> 01:06:00.760
and it's also one of the key planks

01:06:00.760 --> 01:06:03.930
of the tenant Bill of Rights
that we're developing.

01:06:03.930 --> 01:06:04.934
- Thank you.

01:06:04.934 --> 01:06:07.354
- Ma'am, that has always been
the policy of the Air Force

01:06:07.354 --> 01:06:10.004
and this was an opportunity
for us to reinforce that.

01:06:10.920 --> 01:06:14.170
- Ma'am, the same with the
Army, and one step forward

01:06:14.170 --> 01:06:19.170
the Army has an Inspector
General assessment going on

01:06:22.120 --> 01:06:26.300
that will be completed in
about a month and a half,

01:06:26.300 --> 01:06:30.500
and that's one of the aspects
that they are looking into

01:06:30.500 --> 01:06:35.500
to see if there is any
such activity reported

01:06:35.832 --> 01:06:40.832
and further investigate, and
so we will have confirmation

01:06:41.350 --> 01:06:43.260
of exactly the lay of the land,

01:06:43.260 --> 01:06:45.790
and if there is such activity,

01:06:45.790 --> 01:06:48.620
it will be dealt with appropriately

01:06:48.620 --> 01:06:52.850
within the particular channels involved.

01:06:52.850 --> 01:06:57.080
- Thank you, and I'll ask that
any of those contact emails

01:06:57.080 --> 01:07:00.690
or contact numbers be
submitted to the record

01:07:00.690 --> 01:07:03.940
so that in the chance that
anyone from my district

01:07:03.940 --> 01:07:06.620
calls me and tells me they're
being retaliated against,

01:07:06.620 --> 01:07:09.380
I can actually have some information

01:07:09.380 --> 01:07:12.690
where they can contact someone
to remedy that situation,

01:07:12.690 --> 01:07:13.983
so thank you for that.

01:07:15.680 --> 01:07:18.310
You might've already
kind of answered this,

01:07:18.310 --> 01:07:21.240
but who is responsible
for investigating claims

01:07:21.240 --> 01:07:23.240
of retaliation against families,

01:07:23.240 --> 01:07:27.600
whether internal or external
to the Department of Defense?

01:07:27.600 --> 01:07:28.433
Do we know that?

01:07:29.880 --> 01:07:32.010
- Within the Department and
with each of the service,

01:07:32.010 --> 01:07:33.377
Ma'am, the Inspector General has

01:07:33.377 --> 01:07:36.270
the responsibility of taking that on.

01:07:36.270 --> 01:07:40.260
Part of that point, our
leadership ought to be looking

01:07:40.260 --> 01:07:42.700
at those issues and,
should it get to the level,

01:07:42.700 --> 01:07:45.220
it'd be the DODIG, but each of the service

01:07:45.220 --> 01:07:47.870
Inspector Generals will look at that.

01:07:47.870 --> 01:07:51.430
- Excellent, does anyone else
have anything to add to that?

01:07:51.430 --> 01:07:52.263
No? Okay.

01:07:54.810 --> 01:07:57.900
Are there any consequences
and what are they

01:07:57.900 --> 01:08:02.090
for anyone who retaliates
against any military families

01:08:02.090 --> 01:08:04.130
trying to report these housing issues,

01:08:04.130 --> 01:08:07.923
and to your knowledge
have those been enforced?

01:08:09.340 --> 01:08:13.773
- Congresswoman, in terms
of specific actions,

01:08:15.400 --> 01:08:18.030
I will tell you that because
there is zero tolerance,

01:08:18.030 --> 01:08:20.960
if it's a military member,
a specific action is taken

01:08:20.960 --> 01:08:23.910
against that individual on a
range of different actions.

01:08:23.910 --> 01:08:28.190
If it is a civilian member
of the Department of Defense,

01:08:28.190 --> 01:08:30.110
action is taken against them up to

01:08:30.110 --> 01:08:34.910
and including removal from
service of the nation,

01:08:34.910 --> 01:08:36.980
so it is taken very seriously.

01:08:36.980 --> 01:08:38.520
- Thank you.

01:08:38.520 --> 01:08:43.520
And, last on this issue, when
and how will you communicate

01:08:44.800 --> 01:08:47.277
this policy, including
resources for families

01:08:47.277 --> 01:08:50.170
and the consequences for those who engage

01:08:50.170 --> 01:08:53.453
in retaliation, to relevant parties?

01:08:57.050 --> 01:08:59.060
- Congresswoman, across the board,

01:08:59.060 --> 01:09:01.540
each of our services
have communicated that

01:09:01.540 --> 01:09:03.380
to their members and the families.

01:09:03.380 --> 01:09:07.150
Part of the Town Halls
that you've heard eluded to

01:09:07.150 --> 01:09:09.970
is underscoring the fact that there is

01:09:09.970 --> 01:09:12.090
zero tolerance for retaliation.

01:09:12.090 --> 01:09:15.570
I've personally shared
that with all of the CEOs

01:09:15.570 --> 01:09:19.840
of the respective privatization
partners that we have,

01:09:19.840 --> 01:09:23.710
so there is clear understanding
of what our expectations are

01:09:23.710 --> 01:09:26.027
and that is that we
support our family members

01:09:26.027 --> 01:09:29.500
and our military members in
terms of privatized housing.

01:09:29.500 --> 01:09:30.393
- [Haaland] Thank you very much,

01:09:30.393 --> 01:09:32.750
and, Chairman, I yield back.

01:09:32.750 --> 01:09:34.000
- Thank you, Ms. Haaland.

01:09:34.960 --> 01:09:38.450
We have completed the
first round of questions.

01:09:38.450 --> 01:09:41.920
Mr. Lamborn, if you'd like
to make some closing remarks,

01:09:41.920 --> 01:09:43.920
if you would, and then I'll do the same.

01:09:45.110 --> 01:09:47.603
- Thank you, and this
is an important hearing.

01:09:47.603 --> 01:09:48.850
I thank you all for being here.

01:09:48.850 --> 01:09:51.550
Thank you for the first steps
that each of the services

01:09:51.550 --> 01:09:54.053
and the DOD-wide are making.

01:09:55.260 --> 01:09:59.010
I can tell that the specificity is there,

01:09:59.010 --> 01:10:04.010
the metrics, the harnessing of incentives,

01:10:04.050 --> 01:10:07.690
the reeducation or better education

01:10:07.690 --> 01:10:11.370
down to the garrison level of the leverage

01:10:11.370 --> 01:10:15.090
that we do have with
the private contractors

01:10:15.090 --> 01:10:19.270
and for it to be reinforced to them

01:10:19.270 --> 01:10:21.690
of their obligations and responsibilities

01:10:23.890 --> 01:10:25.750
contractually and morally,

01:10:25.750 --> 01:10:29.560
so I'm really happy that
we are making progress,

01:10:29.560 --> 01:10:33.460
but we will be continuing to oversee this.

01:10:33.460 --> 01:10:37.600
This is something that is, like I say,

01:10:37.600 --> 01:10:40.010
good first steps, but
it's only the first steps,

01:10:40.010 --> 01:10:43.470
and time will prove and tell that this is

01:10:43.470 --> 01:10:46.540
being successfully rectified,
and I look forward to that.

01:10:46.540 --> 01:10:48.440
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

01:10:49.610 --> 01:10:51.770
- I wanna thank the committee members

01:10:51.770 --> 01:10:55.370
for their intense interest in this matter,

01:10:55.370 --> 01:10:57.790
and equally or perhaps more importantly

01:10:57.790 --> 01:11:01.940
the family members who had the courage

01:11:01.940 --> 01:11:05.530
to bring this issue to
the attention of Congress.

01:11:05.530 --> 01:11:10.530
You've done a great service
for all of the members,

01:11:10.540 --> 01:11:14.330
all of the men and women
who serve in our military,

01:11:14.330 --> 01:11:18.120
and I wanna really express to you,

01:11:18.120 --> 01:11:20.830
those people who had the
courage to come forward,

01:11:20.830 --> 01:11:22.660
you've made a difference.

01:11:22.660 --> 01:11:27.660
Within really two months
here, in less than two months,

01:11:27.720 --> 01:11:31.530
the leadership of the
Department of Defense

01:11:31.530 --> 01:11:34.360
and the services have stepped forward

01:11:34.360 --> 01:11:38.370
and have put in place a series
of projects and programs

01:11:38.370 --> 01:11:43.370
that should, if carried out over time,

01:11:43.550 --> 01:11:45.500
resolve many of these problems.

01:11:45.500 --> 01:11:48.290
I want to just follow up on some of those.

01:11:48.290 --> 01:11:53.290
First of all, each of the
services and the Secretary,

01:11:53.780 --> 01:11:57.270
the Office of Secretary, have indicated

01:11:57.270 --> 01:12:00.880
that they have emails
and telephone numbers

01:12:00.880 --> 01:12:04.060
that are available to receive complaints.

01:12:04.060 --> 01:12:06.200
I assume that those will be available,

01:12:06.200 --> 01:12:07.850
that the committee will have those

01:12:07.850 --> 01:12:10.070
and will make those available to anybody

01:12:10.070 --> 01:12:11.960
that would like those.

01:12:11.960 --> 01:12:15.330
Similarly, when the Bill
of Rights is produced,

01:12:15.330 --> 01:12:18.590
I believe there is a draft
that the committee has.

01:12:18.590 --> 01:12:23.540
I think it is being updated
today and on into the days ahead

01:12:23.540 --> 01:12:25.220
and when that update is available,

01:12:25.220 --> 01:12:28.080
we'll pass it around to all
the members of the committee

01:12:28.080 --> 01:12:31.230
and to any member of
Congress that's interested

01:12:31.230 --> 01:12:34.000
for their comment as to the effectiveness,

01:12:34.000 --> 01:12:38.340
the efficiency, or the sufficiency of it,

01:12:38.340 --> 01:12:42.540
and that will, I assume,
have the various contacts

01:12:42.540 --> 01:12:44.770
within the garrisons,
within the installations

01:12:44.770 --> 01:12:46.343
as well as at headquarters.

01:12:47.610 --> 01:12:52.610
Also, we noticed that each of
the services are rebuilding

01:12:54.940 --> 01:12:57.920
the personnel necessary to monitor.

01:12:57.920 --> 01:13:01.320
That'll be part of the
work that we do in the NDAA

01:13:01.320 --> 01:13:05.400
and the upcoming work that this
committee has in that regard

01:13:05.400 --> 01:13:07.100
to make sure that that is in place,

01:13:07.100 --> 01:13:10.530
and we will of course
beg our appropriators

01:13:10.530 --> 01:13:12.253
to fund those positions.

01:13:13.490 --> 01:13:16.743
The lease contracts are under review.

01:13:19.050 --> 01:13:22.160
The information that I have
received on some of the leases

01:13:22.160 --> 01:13:24.370
would indicate that the
leases that are in effect

01:13:24.370 --> 01:13:28.120
would clearly be illegal in
some states and communities,

01:13:28.120 --> 01:13:30.760
for example, Washington, D.C.,

01:13:30.760 --> 01:13:35.380
so those contracts are in
process of being reviewed.

01:13:35.380 --> 01:13:37.960
That is the contract between
the owner of the housing

01:13:37.960 --> 01:13:41.740
and the tenant that is
the military family,

01:13:41.740 --> 01:13:44.903
so that'll be part of it, and
I would assume those leases,

01:13:45.969 --> 01:13:47.820
the new leases, will have some

01:13:47.820 --> 01:13:51.580
sort of mechanism for complaints.

01:13:51.580 --> 01:13:55.940
The issue of retaliation has been raised

01:13:55.940 --> 01:13:58.940
by all the members and by the services.

01:13:58.940 --> 01:14:03.940
Those issues of retaliation are
over, and we'll be watching.

01:14:05.420 --> 01:14:08.023
Finally, we will be following up.

01:14:09.090 --> 01:14:12.190
I want to commend and
compliment the services

01:14:12.190 --> 01:14:15.750
and the Office of the Secretary
for jumping on this issue,

01:14:15.750 --> 01:14:18.740
for laying out paths that will

01:14:18.740 --> 01:14:23.260
resolve these issues going forward,

01:14:23.260 --> 01:14:25.810
and heads up, folks.

01:14:25.810 --> 01:14:27.580
We're gonna be coming back to this issue

01:14:27.580 --> 01:14:29.820
before this year is over.

01:14:29.820 --> 01:14:31.370
We'll let a couple of months go by,

01:14:31.370 --> 01:14:32.540
we'll see how things are going,

01:14:32.540 --> 01:14:36.180
and then you all come back
and we'll have a conversation

01:14:36.180 --> 01:14:38.830
to see the progress that has been made.

01:14:38.830 --> 01:14:42.217
With that, we are adjourned.