[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 24 (Friday, February 28, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1779-S1782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       UPGRADING MILITARY HOUSING

  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I rise today to address a very important 
issue for our Nation's men and women in uniform, an issue that you and 
I have spoken about.
  A recent article in the Omaha World Herald detailed problems that 
Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, headquarters for the Strategic 
Command, is having with the condition of military housing on that base. 
I would like to read just a few paragraphs from this story. This is a 
story all too familiar, Mr. President, especially to you as our 
distinguished leader in the Armed Services Committee. This is a quote 
from the Omaha World Herald story:

       Staff Sgt. Tony Suprenant and his wife, Karen, never 
     thought that life in the United States Air Force meant they 
     would get a palatial estate to call home. But the cramped and 
     drafty townhouse that was offered to them when they arrived 
     at Offutt Air Force Base last year was more of a sacrifice 
     than they were willing to make.
       The two-bedroom home was so small that it would not hold 
     the modest amount of furniture they had gathered during their 
     7 years together on five bases. Offutt officials eventually 
     found a more spacious and recently refurbished three-bedroom 
     home for the couple and their 2-year-old daughter, Emily. Not 
     every family at that base is so lucky.

[[Page S1780]]

       Many of the 2,600 Offutt families who live in base housing 
     must cope with cramped conditions and an array of maintenance 
     headaches--frozen pipes, leaky basements, difficulty in 
     heating and cooling--that have only increased with time 
     and heavy use.

  Sadly, Mr. President, this is a problem that extends across the 
country and throughout all branches of our military throughout the 
world. It is a problem that we are not addressing as a nation, as a 
Congress. This is shameful. Like America's strength, our military 
strength is its people--the men and women and their families who have 
committed their lives to protecting the freedoms of this country.
  The Pentagon has estimated that they have problems with a majority of 
its 350,000 military housing units all over the world. In the Omaha 
World Herald article, Pete Potochney, who works in the Pentagon office 
overseeing military housing, is quoted as saying:

       We would consider a lot of our houses as being unsuitable.

  The Pentagon is devoting $680 million in the 1998 budget proposal to 
fix these houses. However, at that rate of spending, it will take the 
Pentagon more than 30 years to fix all of the housing that need fixing.
  Mr. President, the men and women who wear the uniform of the United 
States should not have to wait 30 years for adequate housing for their 
families. At the rate we are currently making progress, it is a rate 
that is being made on this issue far too slowly, and most, if not all, 
of our current military personnel will never live in decent housing at 
this rate.
  The Clinton administration has repeatedly proposed budget cuts and 
more budget cuts for our Nation's defense and our military. The 
President's national defense budget request for fiscal year 1998 is 
$2.9 billion less in budget authority than the level in the 
congressional budget resolution and $3.6 billion less in outlays. 
Moreover, the President's budget proposes a decrease of 16 percent for 
military construction in housing for our families.
  Military officials estimate they have problems with a majority of our 
military housing units, and yet the President has suggested reducing 
the funding for this program by 16 percent. He also proposes a decrease 
in the military personnel account.
  Where is the commitment in this budget to the men and women who wear 
our Nation's uniform? These men and women may be asked to put their 
lives on the line at any time, and yet we offer them inadequate housing 
and pay below the poverty line.
  This is wrong, Mr. President. This is very wrong. We are not taking 
care of our people in the military. If we do not reverse this trend, 
our national security will suffer.
  This is a readiness issue, just as it is a quality-of-life issue. Our 
troops are being deployed for longer periods of time, with more time 
away from their families and for more missions. We are asking more and 
more from our service men and women and their families.
  I ask my colleagues to place themselves in the position of a young 
enlisted person stationed halfway around the globe. How can this young 
man concentrate on his critically important national defense job if he 
is worried about his wife having to deal with broken pipes or his 
children living in a cold, damp home? Our service men and women are 
often placed in tense situations in charge of multimillion-dollar 
pieces of highly technical military equipment. We only help to distract 
them from their duties of national defense if we do not assure them 
that their families are being taken care of and their families are 
living in decent housing.
  I truly fear the long-term consequences of the lack of attention and 
funding devoted to maintaining adequate housing for our Nation's 
military. I fear many bright young men and women will opt not to enter 
the military when they see the lack of resources devoted to meeting 
their basic family needs.
  The military today is much different than it was when I served nearly 
30 years ago. Today, most members of the military are married with 
families. They all volunteer to serve this country. They volunteer for 
many reasons. They do not expect to be treated in any special way, but 
they should have the right to expect decent housing for their families.
  Today's military is a high-technology military, Mr. President. It 
needs to be capable of responding rapidly to a variety of situations 
throughout the world. We need our best and our brightest young men and 
women to serve. But we will not attract or retain them if we are 
unwilling to invest in them and their families.
  Mr. President, I intend to be very vocal on this issue. I have 
already spoken to the distinguished chairman of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee this morning about this issue. We must begin placing 
a higher priority in the defense budget on taking care of our people. 
These are the people who protect America's freedoms. Freedom is not 
free.
  In fact, we need to place a higher priority for total defense 
spending in the overall budget. In many ways we live in a world today 
of greater uncertainty and danger than the one we have known for the 
last 50 years. If we expect our military to respond to all these 
challenges, if we expect our service men and women to risk their lives 
defending America, and America's interests, then we must match those 
expectations with appropriate funding for an acceptable standard of 
living for them.
  The foundation of our military is the men and women who serve. That 
is the very foundation of our society--our people, our families. Our 
military is no different. Our military is the guarantor of American 
foreign policy and the protector of all our freedoms. Just as a house 
built on sand will soon crumble, our military might cannot stand strong 
without committed good men and women.
  If we are unwilling to invest in these men and women we will pay a 
heavy price, a very heavy price, a price far greater than budgetary 
numbers.
  Mr. President, I have written to the distinguished chairman and 
ranking member of the Armed Services Committee today, as well as our 
former colleague, the distinguished Defense Secretary, Bill Cohen, on 
this issue. I intend to be very involved working with my colleagues on 
this matter.
  Let us do the right thing. Let us do the right thing for our people. 
Let us find ways to fix this problem. We owe it to the men and women 
who proudly wear the uniform of the U.S. military.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that those letters and the 
article I mentioned from the Omaha World-Herald be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                Washington, DC, February 28, 1997.
     Hon. William Cohen,
     Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Secretary: America's men and women in uniform need 
     decent housing. I am asking for your firm commitment to make 
     that happen.
       In missions around the world, our armed forces protect 
     America's freedom. But at bases across America, these same 
     dedicated people too often must live in substandard housing 
     that is simply unacceptable. I am deeply concerned about the 
     long-term consequences that poor living conditions will have 
     for our ability to maintain a strong, all-volunteer force.
       This problem has hit home for me at Offutt Air Force Base 
     in Nebraska, where at least 500 housing units built in the 
     1950s and 1960s need to be replaced. Far too much base 
     housing has cracked foundations, cramped conditions, leaky 
     basements, heating and cooling problems, and gaps around the 
     windows. The housing problems at Offutt were described in the 
     enclosed Omaha World-Herald article from February 19, 1997.
       The administration has talked about the importance of 
     military housing. But, frankly, I am disappointed in the 
     follow-through. While our housing problems are growing worse, 
     the President has proposed a decrease of 16 percent for 
     military construction and family housing. The President's 
     housing request is substantially less--by about $3 billion--
     than levels set forth in the budget resolution passed last 
     year. At this rate, it would take 30 years to replace all the 
     substandard housing on our military bases--and after 30 years 
     of wear and tear on houses built today, we would need to 
     start replacing them all over again!
       It's time we get ahead of this problem and make a real 
     commitment--in money as well as words--to providing adequate 
     housing for our military personnel. I spoke about this matter 
     today on the Senate floor and am enclosing a copy of my 
     remarks.
       I am ready to work with you in this effort. Please let me 
     know what you plan to do and how I can help.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Chuck Hagel,
                                                     U.S. Senator.

[[Page S1781]]

     
                                                                    ____
                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                Washington, DC, February 28, 1997.
     Hon. Strom Thurmond,
     Chairman, Committee On Armed Services, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: America's men and women in uniform need 
     decent housing. I am asking you to make this a top priority 
     for the Armed Services Committee this year.
       In missions around the world, our armed forces protect 
     America's freedom. But on bases around the world, these same 
     dedicated people too often must live in substandard housing 
     that is simply unacceptable. I am deeply concerned about the 
     long-term consequences that poor living conditions will have 
     for our ability to maintain a strong, all-volunteer force.
       This problem has hit home for me at Offutt Air Force Base 
     in Nebraska, where at least 500 housing units built in the 
     1950s and 1960s need to be replaced. Far too much base 
     housing has cracked foundations, cramped conditions, leaky 
     basements, heating and cooling problems, and gaps around the 
     windows. The housing problems at Offutt were described in the 
     enclosed Omaha World-Herald article from February 19, 1997.
       We need much more than just talk about this subject, but 
     the President's budget request is moving in exactly the wrong 
     direction. While our housing problems are growing worse, the 
     President has proposed a decrease of 16 percent for military 
     construction and family housing. The President's housing 
     request is substantially less--by about $3 billion--than 
     levels set forth in the budget resolution passed last year. 
     At this rate, it would take 30 years to replace all the 
     substandard housing on our military bases--and after 30 years 
     of wear and tear on houses built today, we would need to 
     start replacing them all over again!
       It's time we get ahead of this problem and make a real 
     commitment to providing adequate housing for our military 
     personnel. I spoke about this matter today on the Senate 
     floor and am enclosing a copy of my remarks.
       I am ready to work with you in this effort. Please let me 
     know what you plan to do and how I can help.
       Sincerely,
                                                      Chuck Hagel,
     U.S. Senator.
                                                                    ____



                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                Washington, DC, February 28, 1997.
     Hon. Carl Levin,
     Ranking Minority Member, Committee On Armed Services, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Levin: America's men and women in uniform need 
     decent housing. I am asking you to make this a top priority 
     for the Armed Services Committee this year.
       In missions around the world, our armed forces protect 
     America's freedom. But on bases around the world, these same 
     dedicated people too often must live in substandard housing 
     that is simply unacceptable. I am deeply concerned about the 
     long-term consequences that poor living conditions will have 
     for our ability to maintain a strong, all-volunteer force.
       This problem has hit home for me at Offutt Air Force Base 
     in Nebraska, where at least 500 housing units built in the 
     1950s and 1960s need to be replaced. Far too much base 
     housing has cracked foundations, cramped conditions, leaky 
     basements, heating and cooling problems, and gaps around the 
     windows. The housing problems at Offutt were described in the 
     enclosed Omaha World-Herald article from February 19, 1997.
       We need much more than just talk about this subject, but 
     the President's budget request is moving in exactly the wrong 
     direction. While our housing problems are growing worse, the 
     President has proposed a decrease of 16 percent for military 
     construction and family housing. The President's housing 
     request is substantially less--by about $3 billion--than 
     levels set forth in the budget resolution passed last year. 
     At this rate, it would take 30 years to replace all the 
     substandard housing on our military bases--and after 30 years 
     of wear and tear on houses built today, we would need to 
     start replacing them all over again!
       It's time we get ahead of this problem and make a real 
     commitment to providing adequate housing for our military 
     personnel. I spoke about this matter today on the Senate 
     floor and am enclosing a copy of my remarks.
       I am ready to work with you in this effort. Please let me 
     know what you plan to do and how I can help.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Chuck Hagel,
     U.S. Senator.
                                                                    ____


              [From the Omaha World-Herald, Feb. 19, 1997]

                 Offutt Families Struggle With Housing

                           (By Jason Gertzen)

       Staff Sgt. Tony Surprenant and his wife, Karen, never 
     thought that life in the Air Force meant they would get a 
     palatial estate to call home. But the cramped and drafty town 
     house that was offered to them when they arrived at Offutt 
     Air Force Base last year was more of a sacrifice than they 
     were willing to make.
       The two-bedroom home was so small that it could not hold 
     even the modest amount of furniture they had gathered during 
     their seven years together on five different bases.
       Offutt officials eventually found a more spacious and 
     recently refurbished three-bedroom town house for the couple 
     and their 2-year-old daughter, Emily.
       Not every family at the base is so lucky.
       Many of the 2,600 Offutt families who live in base housing 
     must cope with cramped conditions and an array of maintenance 
     headaches--frozen pipes, leaky basements, difficulty in 
     heating and cooling--that have only increased with time and 
     heavy use.
       Base officials say that at least 500 of the units, built in 
     the 1950s and 1960s, should be replaced. They have proposed a 
     $46 million construction project that would begin in a few 
     years.
       Military bases across the nation are managing family 
     housing that offers few modern amenities and is increasingly 
     expensive to maintain. The issue is critical to the military 
     because comfortable and affordable housing is a key benefit 
     in attracting the highest-quality troops to today's all-
     volunteer military.
       Amenities or not the Offutt family housing, which is free, 
     remains in high demand, particularly for lower-paid troops 
     who find it hard to obtain better private housing at prices 
     they can afford. Offutt has more than 400 families on a 
     waiting list for base housing.
       ``Quite honestly, we are not taking care of our people,'' 
     said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.
       Hagel, an Army veteran, former Veterans Administration 
     official and vocal advocate for veterans and service members, 
     decried the lack of attention and money devoted in recent 
     years to improving housing for soldiers and their families. 
     He said he would push for more money during this year's 
     budget debate.
       Pentagon officials know they have a problem with the bulk 
     of the 350,000 homes for military families.
       ``We would consider a lot of our houses as being 
     unsuitable,'' said Pete Potochney, who works in the Pentagon 
     office that oversees military housing issues.
       Replacing or refurbishing all of the houses in need of 
     significant repair or updating would cost at least $20 
     billion. Potochney said. At the rate the Pentagon has been 
     addressing the problem--the 1998 budget proposal would devote 
     $680 million to the initiative--it would take 30 years to fix 
     all of the military family houses in need of work.
       A lack of space is a common complaint from Offutt families. 
     The living rooms in some of the units are not big enough for 
     a modest arrangement of a sofa, love seat, coffee table and 
     cabinets for a stereo and television.
       Many of the 2,600 town houses for military families at 
     Offutt also have problems ranging from cracked foundations 
     that have made them structurally unsafe to units with little 
     or no insulation, which makes them difficult to heat and 
     often leads to frozen water pipes.
       No one is living in a unit that is considered unsafe, 
     Offutt officials said. The handful of buildings in such 
     condition have been razed or are closed and scheduled for 
     demolition.
       But the units that are in use lack amenities or have 
     problems that draw a steady stream of complaints.
       Residents in the oldest family housing buildings at Offutt, 
     the Wherry area, said they must run heaters all day and night 
     during the winter just to keep temperatures in the high 60s. 
     Many windows are so dilapidated that they fail to block 
     breezes strong enough to steadily blow curtains.
       Water frequently seeps into basement storage areas.
       The base has tried to improve conditions. At least 100 
     units have been remodeled and sometimes enlarged. Wooden 
     kitchen cabinets have replaced metal ones, and bathrooms have 
     been updated.
       Base officials plan to continue renovating more homes each 
     year.
       This is in addition to the $2.4 million spent each year on 
     an ``active and aggressive'' maintenance program that 
     addresses the most serious problems said Col. John Mollison, 
     commander of the 55th Support Group.
       The units regularly receive fresh coats of paint and other 
     attention that make them as nice as possible without 
     investing the money needed for longer-term improvements said 
     Mollison, who oversees the base's housing complexes.
       ``We fix the things that break,'' Mollison said. 
     ``Everything is cleaned.''
       The Wherry housing area was built in the 1950s. The 
     Capehart housing area which has 2,000 single-family and 
     multi-plex units about two miles west of the base was built 
     in the 1960s. The units are typical of private homes and 
     apartments built at the time, Mollison said.
       ``As we have seen houses change over the years, they have 
     tended to get larger and include more creature comforts,'' 
     Mollison said.
       When residents complain about the housing, Offutt officials 
     plead for patience, saying that the continuing remodeling 
     efforts and the construction plans will improve the homes 
     eventually.
       About 40 percent of Offutt's 6,200 families live in the 
     homes that the military provides. The base has dormitories 
     for single military members who live on base.
       The remaining military members at Offutt own or rent 
     private housing off the base. These people receive a housing 
     allowance that covers about 80 percent of their rent or 
     mortgage costs and utilities.
       Those who live in base housing do not receive a housing 
     allowance, but they pay nothing for rent or utilities. This 
     can mean an extra $2,000 to $3,000 in disposable income each 
     year according to a recent military housing study.

[[Page S1782]]

       The money makes a lot of people willing to cope with 
     cramped conditions and other problems. Finding private 
     housing at prices they can afford can be difficult for lower-
     paid soldiers and airmen.
       Recent studies, including one done for Offutt late last 
     year, indicated a shortage of rental housing in the area, 
     especially for lower-income residents.
       Surprenant, who joined the Air Force in 1987, said housing 
     is an important benefit that makes a military career more 
     attractive.
       The money saved by living in military housing allows Mrs. 
     Surprenant to stay at home with Emily. ``We think parents 
     should stay home with their kids if they can,'' Surprenant 
     said.
       The Surprenants said they also have found that there are 
     more than just financial benefits to living in base housing.
       ``In a military community, right away you have something in 
     common with your neighbors,'' Surprenant said.

  Mr. HAGEL. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield my time.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sessions). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________