Rep. Mike Levin Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Support Access to Affordable Military Housing
Washington, D.C.—Today, Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Jen Kiggans (VA-02) introduced the bipartisan Service Member Housing Relief Act, which would give the Secretary of Defense greater flexibility to respond to cost-of-living spikes in Military Housing Areas (MHAs) nationwide. This would help service members afford to live in San Diego and Orange counties.
In recent years, the Secretary of Defense has been temporarily authorized to increase the basic allowance for housing (BAH) where cost of living rises more than 20% over the previous year. Yet, service members and their families continue to report significant cost-of-living spikes at their assigned duty stations around the country, often with some costs rising more quickly and frequently than BAH can account for.
The bill would reduce the threshold for granting mid-year temporary BAH increases from 20% to 15% of the overall increase in cost of living from the previous year. It also makes the Secretary of Defense’s authority permanent. In effect, the bill would give service members and their families more affordable and accessible housing options to avoid excessively long commutes, potentially hazardous living conditions, and ultimately better fit their needs.
“This bipartisan bill addresses housing affordability issues facing service members across the country, including those stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton,” said Rep. Levin. “It increases the resources available to pay for housing and expands military housing options to ensure service members and their families are able to live and work in close proximity. I look forward to pushing this bill through the legislative process and garnering more bipartisan support for our men and women in uniform.”
“As a Navy veteran, I know firsthand how critical stable, affordable housing is to our military families’ quality of life and mission readiness,” said Rep. Kiggans. “The Service Member Housing Relief Act is a commonsense, bipartisan solution to address the rising cost of living in many military communities. By lowering the threshold for BAH adjustments and making DoD’s authority permanent, we can ensure our servicemembers aren’t forced to choose between safe housing and supporting their families. I’m proud to support this bill because our military families deserve better—and we owe them nothing less.”
“MFAN’s research—alongside data from the Department of Defense and other leading organizations—consistently demonstrates that the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) falls short in many housing markets across the country,” said Shannon Razsadin, CEO of the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN). “In fact, our 2023 Military Family Support Programming Survey found that 52.5% of active-duty families spent more than $250 out-of-pocket each month beyond their housing allowance. The data makes clear: housing insecurity is directly linked to broader challenges, including food insecurity, mental health, retention, and propensity to recommend military service. We applaud this bipartisan initiative. Military families don’t get to choose when or where they move—those decisions are made for them in service to our country. The very least we can do is ensure their compensation keeps pace with the real costs of providing a safe place for their family to call home.”
The bill is supported by: Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN).
Full text of the bill can be found here.
##