Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) is asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth whether money collected from service members for their food costs was misappropriated under the Biden administration.
A Military.com investigation found that more than $151 million of $225 million collected from soldiers’ Basic Allowance for Subsistence payments was not spent on food.
“We write today with concern regarding one such issue, which is the previous administration’s gross misappropriation of millions of dollars collected from our service members intended to pay for food and other nutrition costs,” Mills wrote in the letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Since this money is specifically labeled and allocated to the service members for subsistence, the fact that it is being utilized elsewhere is a break in trust that the service members have with their service components that are supposed to be ensuring their well-being,” he added.
Mills signed the letter along with Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Sam Graves (R-MO), Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), and Rich McCormick (R-GA).
“This is another example of the Biden administration’s failure to appropriately address service
member quality of life issues that directly impact readiness, retention, and lethality,” the letter states.
The letter concludes with the lawmakers requesting details about what the money is being spent on and how much of it is going toward food programs.
At Fort Stewart in Georgia, 87% of the funds collected from soldiers didn’t go toward food or food programs, according to the report. All but two bases analyzed by the outlet left more than half of the money for food unspent.
“Stealing food money from our soldiers is not how we achieve military readiness,” Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) told the website. “The fact that at least $151 million was collected from soldiers and not spent on food as required demands not just an immediate investigation, but swift accountability.”
An Army spokeswoman said the service uses funds “needed to feed the projected number of meals based on previous head counts,” which means that historical head counts at dining facilities are used to determine how much food is purchased.
Mills, a former Army sergeant, expressed anger at the funds not being spent on food.
“As a combat veteran, I’ve once been in the position of a young Army soldier with limited financial resources,” he told the Washington Examiner. “Mismanaging funds for soldiers’ nutrition is a betrayal of those who sacrifice to defend our freedom. For junior enlisted soldiers, the $465 monthly flat rate for BAS can make up as much as 18% of their total pay. This misappropriation of funds directly reduces the financial support they rely on for their basic needs.”
“We cannot achieve military readiness by robbing those who serve of resources they’ve been promised,” he said.
More than a quarter of active-duty troops meet the Department of Agriculture’s definition of food insecure, an April 2024 report found. That number is nearly 2 1/2 times higher than the civilian population.
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
McCormick, a former Navy and Marine officer, told the Washington Examiner that “this extreme lack of accountability is unacceptable.”
“I demand immediate action to stop this fraud and investigate the misappropriation of these funds. Our troops sacrifice so much for our nation; I will always have their six,” he added.