U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) joined 11 of his Republican colleagues in requesting that the U.S. Department of the Army immediately address the poor state of indoor environmental conditions in the Army’s existing barracks and housing portfolio.
“The current conditions of these facilities, including poor air and water quality, mold, and PFAS contamination, need to be rectified swiftly,” wrote the members in a June 28 letter sent to U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and numerous other high-ranking Army officials.
The Quality of Life report released in April by congressional members highlighted the inadequate living conditions in the Army’s barracks, according to the letter, and a 2023 report released by the Government Accountability Office details hazardous health conditions within military barracks.
“Substandard indoor environmental conditions in military housing pose a significant health risk to our military personnel and are contributing to long term chronic illnesses and growing liabilities,” wrote Rep. Fitzpatrick and his colleagues. “These living environments have become a detriment to our recruiting and retention, as well as the readiness and resiliency of our warfighters.”
The members did acknowledge progress made thus far by the U.S. Department of Defense in its Strategy for Resilient & Healthy Defense Communities, which calls for the adoption of new and innovative ways to ensure the health and well-being of service members and their families, as well as recent actions taken in privatized accompanied housing, including commitments to meet third-party indoor health certifications.
However, they wrote that the Army must utilize viable, scalable, and evidence-based approaches to improve its housing conditions.
“The basic standard of living we provide for our service members and their families must be free from toxins, chemicals, and other pollutants,” they wrote. “While the Army invests in long-term construction plans for new housing facilities, we must prioritize portfolio-wide solutions that can be implemented without delay across existing barracks and other housing units to address critical indoor health categories for all service members.”
Among the lawmakers who joined Rep. Fitzpatrick in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Brian Mast (R-FL), and August Pfluger (R-TX).
They asked Secretary Wormuth to answer several questions about what immediate steps the Army is taking to address the conditions of its barracks and housing portfolio, including how the Army plans to use remaining fiscal year 2024 funds to address the current concerns.