Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is raising concerns that military servicemembers’ allowances for food are being improperly confiscated by the Department of Defense (DoD).
This week, Sen. Ossoff and other Members of Congress raised concerns with the Trump Administration over the alleged misuse of Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) resources.
A recent report from Military.com highlighted the Department of the Army’s practice of deducting BAS from Soldiers, and then only using a fraction of those funds to sustain dining facilities on Army installations.
For example, according to the report, servicemembers at Fort Stewart contributed $17 million from their paychecks for BAS funds, but the installation only spent $2.1 million for food.
Current law states that servicemembers who receive basic pay are entitled to receive BAS to help them afford the cost of food. The BAS amount is withheld from servicemembers’ paychecks to help provide food services on installations, and junior-enlisted personnel have a higher amount withheld as they often live on base, allowing them to have more access to food at dining facilities.
“Congress provides servicemembers with BAS to help them afford meals. If BAS is taken from servicemembers for meals the government gives them, then that funding should be used to cover the costs and investments needed to serve those meals,” Sen. Ossoff and the group wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “Additionally, for Congress to effectively conduct its oversight responsibilities, it must be fully apprised of how the funding provided is appropriated and must ensure open transparency on behalf of the services.”
The Military.com report also found that in 2024 –– across the 11 largest Army installations –– more than $151 million of the $225 million in BAS collected from servicemembers on these installations was not spent on food.
“If a servicemember is losing money from their paycheck because they are being given a meal, it is reasonable for them to expect that funding will be used only to cover the costs of providing it and to ensure it is of the highest possible quality,” the group continued. “We trust you will move expeditiously to answer our inquiries.”
Sen. Ossoff continues working to deliver for Georgia’s servicemembers and their families.
In February, Sen. Ossoff and a group of Senators urged the Trump Administration to resume the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) work investigating and enforcing protections for military families and veterans against predatory lenders.
In December, Sen. Ossoff’s Hunter Army Airfield Support Act to authorize construction of a new parachute training and maintenance facility for special operations forces at the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, a key first step for the project –– was signed into law.
Last year, Sens. Ossoff and Mike Braun’s (R-IN) bipartisan Military Mental Health Professionals Support Act to help ensure servicemembers have access to the vital mental health care services they deserve by recruiting more mental health care providers –– was signed into law.
Click here to read the Senators’ inquiry.
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