WASHINGTON -- Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth, demanding that she fulfill her pledge to replace all military housing at Fort Leonard Wood.

"The Army’s inability to meet its own deadlines is unacceptable, and I will wait no longer," wrote Senator Hawley. "I will withhold my consent to any future Army civilian nominations which require Senate confirmation. The soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood deserve better, and it is your responsibility to deliver for them."

BACKGROUND

  • In June of 2021, Senator Hawley asked Secretary Wormuth and General McConville for information about the Army’s plans to replace housing at the base. 
     
  • In May 2022, Senator Hawley pressed Secretary Wormuth and Chief of Staff of the Army General James C. McConville for answers about housing at Fort Leonard Wood. 
     
  • A few weeks before his August visit, Senator Hawley sent a letter to Secretary Wormuth requesting an update on the Army’s plans to replace aging homes at Fort Leonard Wood. 
     
  • In August 2022, Senator Hawley toured Fort Leonard Wood, delivered remarks about the important work being done there, and visited with residents about base housing in need of replacement.
     
  • In December 2022, Senator Hawley announced that the Army committed to spending $41.4 million in Fiscal Year 2023 and another $50 million in Fiscal Year 2024 for new housing at Fort Leonard Wood following repeated demands that aging homes at the base be replaced.
     
  • In March, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth requesting, for the third time, the Army's plan for replacing the aging homes at Fort Leonard Wood.

Read the full letter here or below: 

October 5, 2023

Honorable Christine E. Wormuth
Secretary of the Army
101 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0101

Dear Secretary Wormuth:

I write with deep concern over the Army’s continual failure to keep its promises to the soldiers and families of Fort Leonard Wood.

In December 2022, after the Army identified 1,142 family homes on post in need of repair, Under Secretary Camarillo pledged to me that the Army would spend $41.4 million during Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) and $50 million during FY24 on homes for families. You acknowledged this same pledge in a phone call with me over the summer. In the ten months since the commitment was made, the Army has continually dragged its feet. Now we know for sure that you have broken your promise. Your staff informs my office that no funds will be available until December 15, 2023, at the earliest, well past the end of the fiscal year which concluded on September 30, 2023. Once again, the Army has failed to prioritize the soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood.

As I have written previously, the Army only committed to this investment reluctantly. Despite your commitment during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on May 5, 2022, the Army has still failed to produce your plan for replacing all housing at Fort Leonard Wood. Beyond your inability to even produce your plan, what investment you have promised has now failed to materialize. The deadline has now come and gone, and given your record I have real doubts that Fort Leonard Wood will receive this investment before the end of the calendar year.

The Army’s inability to meet its own deadlines is unacceptable, and I will wait no longer. Until the promised $41.4 million is invested in housing at Fort Leonard Wood, I will withhold my consent to any future Army civilian nominations which require Senate confirmation. The soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood deserve better, and it is your responsibility to deliver for them.

I promise you I will continue to work tirelessly to secure adequate housing for Fort Leonard Wood, and I keep my promises. 

Sincerely,

Josh Hawley
United States Senator

Issues
Military