Appropriations Bills

House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle was true to his word. He said he would raise a point of order and kill legislation to allow the continued construction of military family housing— and he did just that. Then, in another vote on the House floor extended beyond the normal time limit, a majority of Republican members supported Nussle’s point of order.
“This action says to our military families, many of whom have loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, that a majority of the House of Representatives puts billion dollar tax cuts for millionaires and for members of Congress above better housing for our military families,” said Rep. Chet Edwards, Ranking Member of the Military Construction Subcommittee. “Everyday, we ask our soldiers to fight in defense of this country and they sacrifice willingly. Today, the majority ignored them and the sacrifices made by military families.”
The housing provision, which was added to the 2005 Appropriations bill by Republican Subcommittee Chairman Joe Knollenberg, would have allowed as many as 50,000 military family housing units to be built in 22 states in 2005 and 2006. However, there was a maximum set in 1996 on the total amount the government could spend in “seed” money to build and refurbish base housing, and the Pentagon has indicated that the maximum could be reached as soon as November 2004, which would stop construction.

Under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, private sector developers pay most of the construction or renovation costs and recover their investment from rent paid by military families. The program has provided better quality family housing much more quickly than was possible under traditional funding methods, and the Defense Department has saved millions of dollars.

Edwards’s amendment was supported by the Republican Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, Bill Young and Duncan Hunter, as well as the Ranking Members of both committees, Dave Obey and Ike Skelton, the Departments of the Army, Air Force and Navy, the Defense Department, the White House Office of Management and Budget and military officer and family associations.