Senators press DOD on poor barracks, family housing and a $1 billion funding shift to border operations
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Summary
Ranking members raised concerns about substandard barracks and family housing, and cited an Army plan to divert about $1 billion in FSRM funding to support Southwest Border operations. Army and OSD witnesses said funding redirected was largely unexecuted and that FY26 FSRM budgets aim to rebound.
Senators at the Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing pressed Defense Department officials about poor living conditions in family and unaccompanied housing and asked how recent funding shifts will affect repairs and readiness.
"The poor living conditions, which unfortunately include sewage overflow, mold, mildew, broken windows, decrease the quality of life and readiness for service members," Sen. Dan Sullivan said in his opening. Ranking Member Sen. Mazie Hirono highlighted an Army plan she called troubling: "I am troubled to learn about the Army's plan to divert $1,000,000,000 of facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization funding to pay for operations at the Southwest Border," Hirono said.
Army witness Dr. Patrick Waxman and Assistant Secretary Melissa Marx replied that the funds in question were largely unexecuted balances and that the Army plans to restore those requirements into FY26. "We did not pull any funding from any projects that were already being spent on. It was money that had not already been assigned," Waxman told the committee. He added the Army's FY26 FSRM budget is roughly 25% higher than FY24 and that leadership is prioritizing barracks and sustainment work.
Witnesses and senators discussed oversight measures introduced since reports exposing substandard housing. Marx said parts of the administration's FY26 request include $1.9 billion for family housing and $1.2 billion for unaccompanied housing. Senators asked for status updates on GAO recommendations: Sen. Tim Kaine noted a 2023 Government Accountability Office report that made 31 recommendations on housing; Marx said more than half the recommendations have been implemented and that three remain in closure processes.
Committee members directed the services to provide updated execution data. Sen. Hirono said the panel had asked the Army for a comparison of planned versus executed FSRM projects in FY25 and had not received it; Waxman committed to produce finalized numbers for the committee.
Why it matters: Lawmakers said living conditions directly affect morale, retention and readiness, and pressed for transparency on how funds are being allocated and accounted for when portions of FSRM are used for other priorities.
No formal votes were taken. Officials promised follow-up deliverables for committee review.