Senator Reverend Warnock Presses Defense Department to Protect Georgia Servicemembers, Military Families from Inadequate Private Base Housing

Press Release

Following a recent $65 million settlement between the U.S. government and a private housing company guilty of fraudulent and untruthful monetizing practices, today U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led a new oversight effort to protect the nation's servicemembers from unsanitary, unsafe living conditions at military base housing facilities operated by Balfour Beatty Communities (BBC) LLC.

In a new letter to the Department of Defense, Senator Warnock and 16 of his Senate colleagues asked the Department to provide additional information regarding how it will conduct proper oversight of BBC's private military housing communities after the company pleaded guilty to falsifying upkeep and resident satisfaction records, and neglecting servicemembers' maintenance requests. The Senators' letter pushes the Department of Defense for solutions in light of the recent settlement that will further protect servicemembers from poor and unkempt private housing, and regain servicemembers' trust in BBC's privately-owned housing units across the country.

"Given that BBC continues to manage housing communities at 55 installations across the nation and has several decades left on their long-term contracts, we ask the following questions about how this settlement will affect the management of these properties and how DoD plans to ensure quality housing for military families moving forward," the Senators wrote.

The DoJ resolution with BBC could impact multiple military installations across Georgia including: Fort Gordon, Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Moody Air Force Base, and Kings Bay Naval Station. Senator Warnock continues to champion the voices and concerns of our nation's servicemembers and military communities after recently securing millions for Georgia's military priorities in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Warnock is also working to address ongoing issues at the Atlanta VA and improve disparities in care for veterans.

"Our servicemembers and military families, who so dutifully serve our nation, shouldn't have to worry about having safe, secure housing. It is shameful they had to deal with these poor living conditions in the first place. Housing is dignity, and I will continue pushing the federal government to make sure we're doing everything we can to provide our courageous men and women in uniform, and their families, with the resources and support they need not just to live, but thrive," Senator Reverend Warnock added.

Senator Warnock's led letter was signed by 16 Senators including: U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

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