WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) spoke on the Senate floor about the military housing issues at Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, and military installations across the country. As Chairman of Senate Armed Service Subcommittee on Personnel, Senator Tillis secured multiple provisions in the FY2020 NDAA that take meaningful steps to address the serious issues with the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) for servicemembers and their families.

Watch the floor speech HERE.

Tillis on current military housing conditions:

“Earlier this year, we heard of what I consider to be absolutely unacceptable conditions in military housing across the country and North Carolina. These reports across the country of mold, mildew, damage from storms, and all kinds of conditions that I think are objectionable. It's particularly objectionable when you're talking about families of servicemembers who serve this country.”

Tillis on progress being made in the FY2019 NDAA:

“I want to tell the families at Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg and make it very clear to everyone involved, whether it be the private housing providers, garrison commanders, the Department of Defense, or Congress that we want to know what their problems are and we are going to make progress on the military housing issue through the FY2020 NDAA.”

Tillis on helping military families with service requests:

“If anyone has a service request outstanding with any vendor and feel like they are not getting a proper response, I want them to contact my office. We will treat every housing request as casework and my office will track it until it’s complete. Any servicemember who has this problem who think someone won’t follow up on it, give me a chance. We have solved many cases and we are not going to finish until I believe the men and women at Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, and bases across the country have the safe and comfortable housing they deserve.”

Senator Tillis secured the following provisions in the FY2020 NDAA to improve the military housing issue:

Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI)

• The NDAA takes meaningful steps to address serious issues with the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, including:
  • Improving quality of life for servicemembers and their families living in privatized military housing by creating a Tenant Bill of Rights, setting up a dispute resolution process, and increasing oversight
  • Holding private military housing companies accountable by instating new quality assurance and quality control measures and increasing health and hazard inspections
  • Strengthening management of military housing by authorizing an additional $301.8 million to ensure each installation has the necessary government housing personnel to implement thorough oversight and planning measures

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