(Reuters) - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal called on Thursday for a criminal fraud investigation of private landlords who operate housing on U.S. military bases, following Reuters reports that showed how thousands of U.S. military families were subjected to serious health and safety hazards in on-base
1 / 2U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal speaks during U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Judge Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation hearing in WashingtonFILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal speaks during U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh's U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts housing.
Blumenthal was speaking at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee called to discuss how to hold the military and contractors accountable for substandard living conditions on some bases. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines unveiled a proposed tenant bill of rights on Wednesday that would hand more power to military families facing housing hazards.
The proposed bill could usher in a major overhaul of the military's two-decade-old housing privatization program. Among other steps, it will require the military to renegotiate contracts – worth billions of dollars – with the real estate companies and bondholders who back the deals, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer said in an interview.
The measure was prompted by a Reuters series,"Ambushed at Home," that detailed how thousands of U.S. military families have been subjected to hazards including mold, lead poisoning risks, and pest infestations but have only limited tenant rights under the military’s confidential contracts with private landlords.A draft of the document, signed by the secretaries of the Navy, Army and Air Force, proposes several measures.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. senator wants criminal investigation of military base landlordsU.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal called on Thursday for a criminal fraud investig...
Read more »
Senator Blumenthal seeks criminal investigation of shoddy military housingU.S. senators demanded accountability for slum-like housing conditions on milita...
Read more »
Taliban kills at least 23 Afghan soldiers in military base attackThe pre-dawn assault in Helmand province's Shorab military base, one of the largest military installations in the country, also left at least 20 insurgents dead, officials say.
Read more »
Taliban forces attack southern Afghan military base as peace talks continueUp to 20 Afghan casualties reported at large base that also houses U.S. troops.
Read more »
Freshman GOP senator reveals she was sexually assaulted when she served in the militaryFreshman Republican Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona revealed that she was raped while she served in the military
Read more »
GOP senator reveals she was sexually assaulted when she served in the military'I am also a military sexual assault survivor.' In a Senate subcommittee hearing, SenMcSallyAZ reveals she was raped while serving in the military. The retired colonel says she almost left the Air Force, feeling the 'system was raping me all over again.'
Read more »
Opinion | Trump Base Wants Immigration CompromiseOpinion: Trump’s backers are the likeliest to support a wall-for-DACA deal, writes TimmerKane
Read more »
U.S. to end large-scale military drills with South KoreaExclusive: US military is preparing to announce that annual large-scale joint exercises conducted with South Korea every spring will no longer be held, according to two US defense officials.
Read more »
U.S., South Korea announce end to large-scale military drillsOn Friday, two U.S. defense officials told NBC News that the exercises are being curtailed as part of the Trump administration's effort to ease tensions with North Korea.
Read more »