Issa defends National Guard soldiers ordered to repay bonuses

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said a report about California National Guard soldiers being forced to pay back enlistment bonuses was “extremely troubling.”

Approximately 10,000 California National Guard soldiers have been ordered to repay bonuses of $15,000 or more that were paid for enlisting or reenlisting during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The recent report regarding reenlistment bonuses being clawed back are extremely troubling,” Issa said. “It is unconscionable that the responsibility for paying for bureaucratic malfeasance and corruption over a decade ago is being laid at the feet of the heroes who put themselves in harm’s way to keep our nation safe. The Department of Defense should forgive these debts immediately.”

In a letter to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Issa called on Carter to outline steps that he will take to fix the problem “in a way that makes whole every one of these veterans.”

Additionally, Issa said in a letter to conferees of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that the claw back would create financial hardship that veterans who enlisted during a time of war do not deserve.

“Although California Guard officials have pledged to work with veterans that wish to file appeals to the National Guard Bureau and the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to clear these debts, this is insufficient,” Issa wrote. “Accountability demands much more. This is not how any veteran should be treated.”

Issa concluded by calling on conferees to insert specific language into the final fiscal year 2017 NDAA that would waive the “unjust penalty.”