Jen Kiggans: “Just to close, again, about the privatization of housing. To look at and to compare and to enter both facilities, those…”

“Just to close, again, about the privatization of housing. To look at and to compare and to enter both facilities, those that are privatized, and those that are purely funded by the Department of Defense, is it perfect, no, but it is a heck of a lot better than the current conditions that we have our unaccompanied servicemembers living in right now. There are stark differences in those two pathways of life. I cannot speak more favorably to the privatized model. Again, is it perfect, no. Is there a lot of accountability and oversight that needs to happen, yes. That contract process could probably be perfected and worked on. That is something that I think is in the responsibility of Congress. We need to make sure that we have a contract with those privatized companies who also have reputations on the line so they are not just building and forgetting about those housing situations. They have reputations too, and they want to take care of our servicemembers. In reality, what is happening in the two models we currently have in San Diego and Norfolk is a stark contrast to the DOD-funded, DOD-built, and DOD-supervised housing that we currently see on base, and I can't think of a better direction for our servicemembers. As far as the VA carrying U.S. territories and Freely Associated States, I again encourage my colleagues to support this amendment. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Molinaro).…”