Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz Statement at Oversight Hearing on Quality of Life in the Military

Congreswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's oversight hearing on quality of life in the military:

Thank you for yielding, Judge Carter. I am looking forward to continuing our excellent partnership this year on this subcommittee.

I would like to thank all five witnesses for coming here today to testify on the crucial topics affecting the quality of life not just for our servicemembers but for their families as well.

This hearing is a great opportunity to identify areas where we can do more to help those who protect us and defend this nation. It is imperative that we prioritize their wellbeing and guarantee their optimal readiness. The witnesses before us are well positioned to convey the views and needs of our enlisted men and women.

Over the last several years, this subcommittee has sent a strong message with the overall funding levels we have provided that go above and beyond the levels requested by the Department in budget requests. Specifically, we have made strong investments to target quality of life issues most important to our servicemembers.

We have targeted funding to increase the number of child development centers to chip away at the backlog of families waiting to get their children into childcare facilities. No servicemember can focus on their job if they are worrying about how their children are being taken care of when they are away.

For the first time last year, we included an additional $30 million to provide much needed, more robust oversight over the housing portfolio. It is despicable for servicemembers and their families to be subject to deplorable housing conditions. We will not rest until this housing crisis is solved.

We continue to prioritize the cleanup of PFAS – as more and more evidence comes to light of the serious, long-term side effects of PFAS, we need quick and efficient remediation. I am proud that our 2023 bill included an additional $200 million for PFAS identification, mitigation, and cleanup at closed military locations under our BRAC account. We must continue to build on this and protect our servicemembers.

Lastly, the issue of sexual assault in the military remains dire – and the problem only seems to be getting worse. According to the Department of Defense's annual Sexual Assault and Prevention Report released in September, sexual assault rates are up, reporting is down, and trust in the military to protect victims is low.

There has been significant focus on this year over year and yet no progress is being made – in fact, we are losing ground. I cannot stress enough the importance of protecting our women and men from sexual assault and harassment, and I want to hear about necessary policy and culture changes to reverse the prevalence of sexual assault in the military.

These issues, among others that we'll get into during our questioning, directly affect the recruitment and retention of our servicemembers. If we want to build the force of the future, we must take care of our service men and women while they are in the military and after they leave.

While we do not yet have the President's budget, I am hopeful it will include a strong request for military construction funding that addresses many of the quality of life issues we will discuss today and will not follow the historic pattern, among presidents of both parties, of underfunding military construction.

What concerns me is Speaker McCarthy's reported proposal to limit discretionary spending levels to fiscal year 2022 levels. This could have disastrous effects across our government including on military construction and specifically on efforts to fund additional projects related to quality of life.

At that funding level, the strides we have taken to provide more quality, safe housing for our troops and their families would be in danger.

At that funding level, the committee would have to make hard choices between mission critical projects and those that improve the quality of life for our troops.

At that funding level, crucial construction projects would stretch further into the future, affecting mission readiness.

We need to continue to build on the success of the prior fiscal years to continue to invest in military construction and the members of our armed services – we cannot take a giant leap backwards.

So, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today to discuss what more is needed, not only through funding but also through policy and leadership, to improve the lives of our servicemembers and their families.

Thank you all for coming today and for your service. I look forward to your testimonies.