Politics

The Defense Department has locked itself into another decadeslong lease to privatize military barracks — expanding a housing model that has posed significant challenges for military family housing for decades. The move, a Senate lawmaker warns, will limit the Pentagon’s ability to change contract terms and hold private companies accountable for poor living conditions.

Last year, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed the Pentagon for details on its plan to privatize barracks, starting at Fort Irwin in California. New responses from the Pentagon reveal that DoD has locked in a lease running through 2079 with the Michaels Organization, a private housing developer.

In September, military families who lived at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, filed a lawsuit against the company over hazardous living conditions, including toxic mold and persistent water damage, saying their calls for help were met with “corporate indifference” and alleging the company had a “cartel-like hold on the housing monopoly.” The company has also faced scrutiny for requiring families to sign non-disclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their living conditions.