NEW YORK - A sweeping U.S. military housing reform plan, pitched as a way to protect service families from shoddy homes and unresponsive landlords, has been watered down to remove several protections tenants and Congress had sought.
Though the rent and dispute resolution provisions were cited in the original draft released last March, they were not included last week when U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper unveiled the tenant bill of rights. Fifteen other measures are going ahead as planned. “Many of the rights set forth by Congress pertain to legal matters that do not lend themselves to unilateral action by the Department,” Esper and the secretaries of the branches wrote when they unveiled the tenants’ rights.
“If the companies won’t agree then it’s time to renegotiate the ‘partnership’” between the Pentagon and the landlords, “starting with a mutually beneficial relationship and transparency of the contracts,” said Darlena Brown who, after her own son was exposed to lead on a Georgia Army base, started the nonprofit Military Housing Advocacy Network.
Two others, Balfour Beatty Communities and Lincoln Military Housing, said they were working with the Defense Department to develop language that all the companies and their financiers can support. A spokesman for Balfour Beatty Communities said the company seeks more details, such as what the resolution process will entail.
Probably earth tremor..
We need that money to build the wall, not decent housing for our military. Smh.
This is disgusting. Right back to square one.
Well it's not going to get better for them with all the money going to Trumps Wall, but the military loves him. Smh.
Military housing was terrible. Got out after a year. Best thing we had ever done at the time.
That’s because America’s politicians don’t care about the military, the middle class or the people who built America. Just gotta make wealthy people more money. Maybe they deserve another tax break?
How do we expect the military to protect the country if we don’t protect them?!!
nothing but the best for are troops
Military members and their families being treated like crap again. What a shame.
The military is only play props for entertainment at Mar-A-Lago
Those are telephone boxes hanging in the photo. Big deal
Fewer protections than they have now, probably. This another revenue stream flowing through the White House. Who's bidding on this one?
The Trump administration has done more for military families... wait? What? Something about that doesn’t sound right.
WTH?!!
Of course it is - trump stole that money to pay for the wall