Haaland to DoD: Military Families Stuck With Financial Burdens Caused by Coronavirus, They Need Relief

Albuquerque, N.M. – After hearing that military families are stuck with unintended financial burdens caused by the coronavirus, Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) led a letter to the Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper to ensure military families receive immediate financial relief. 

During this global coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Defense took the unprecedented but necessary step to stop all travel for DoD civilian employees, Servicemembers and their families, officially called the Stop Movement order. From the inability to follow through with their change of station, separation, or retirement leading them to pay for two residences, to spouse job losses, and repurchasing necessities, military families find themselves in extreme financial distress. The letter urges the Department of Defense to provide the necessary assistance and resources to the thousands of military families under extreme financial distress as a result of the Stop Movement Order. 

In the letter, Haaland and the members wrote, “We strongly urge you to show the same level of swift action you did in issuing the Stop Movement Order to exercise every measure within your authority to provide the Services with the guidance and resources needed to ensure care and support to every military member and family adversely affected by this order.”

The letter was signed by U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern, Brian Fitzpatrick, Matt Gaetz, Jackie Speier, Cheri Bustos, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Denny Heck, Donald S. Beyer, Jr., Madeleine Dean, Tulsi Gabbard, Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Veronica Escobar, Jason Crow, Wm. Lacy Clay, Doug Lamborn, Elaine G. Luria, Terri A.Sewell, Anthony Brindisi, Ruben Gallego, Michael Waltz, Joe Wilson, Tony Cardenas, Anthony G. Brown, Stephen F. Lynch, Vicki Hartzler, Lauren Underwood, Julia Brownley, Seth Moulton, Mike Levin, Jamie Raskin, Salud Carbajal, William R. Keating, Colin Allred, and Gregorio Kilili Camacho.

The letter was endorsed by Pay It Forward Inc., Military Order of the Purple Heart, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officers Association & Enlisted Association, AMSUS, The Society of Federal Health Professionals, TREA: The Enlisted Association, Army Aviation, Association of America (AAAA), National Military Family Association, Partners In PROMISE, Association of the United States Navy (AUSN) Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and the Marine Corps Reserve Association (MCRA)

Full letter to Defense Secretary Esper is available here.