Sens. Ossoff and Rubio push to extend Department of Defense (DoD) authority to temporarily increase housing allowances for military families in areas with higher housing costs.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to help military families afford housing.
Today, Sen. Ossoff (D-GA) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the bipartisan Military Housing Affordability Act of 2022 to help servicemembers living in higher-cost areas afford safe, quality housing.
The bill would grant a two-year extension of the Secretary of Defense’s authority to temporarily adjust the basic allowance for housing (BAH) rates where the cost of adequate housing differs more than 20% from the current BAH rate.
The DoD’s current authority expires on September 30, 2022.
“Many Georgia military families have asked me to help with the high cost of housing. That’s why I’ve introduced this bipartisan bill to help them so that servicemembers, their spouses, and their kids are secured in safe, affordable housing,” said U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff.
“The men and women who dedicate their lives to serve our country should not have to worry about being unable to afford a decent home for their families,” U.S. Senator Rubio said. “This bipartisan bill would help military families suffering from inflation, supply chain issues, or natural disasters continue to access affordable housing.”
Sen. Ossoff is leading the charge on improving housing accessibility for our nation’s veterans, servicemembers, and their families.
Over the last year, as Chair of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Sen. Ossoff led an eight-month-long investigation into the mistreatment of military families who live in privatized housing.
Last December, Sen. Ossoff also pushed legislation to reduce veteran homeless and ensure their access to permanent and affordable housing.
Sen. Ossoff last year co-sponsored the Military Hunger Prevention Act, which provided for a basic needs allowance to prevent hunger among low-income military families, and the basic needs allowance passed into law as part of last year’s NDAA.
Click here to read the Military Housing Affordability Act of 2022.
# # #
