Washington, D.C. (December 20, 2021) – Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) today applauded Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall for agreeing to reevaluate the housing needs at Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) with the goal of building more housing on and around base. 

This announcement comes just weeks after the two lawmakers sent a letter to the secretary requesting a complete and thorough Housing Requirement and Market Analysis (HRMA) to assess the Fairchild local housing market and its ability to meet military housing demand. The HRMA is expected to be completed in FY23.

“I am pleased to learn Secretary Kendall has agreed to conduct a Housing Requirement and Market Analysis (HRMA) for Fairchild Air Force Base. This is a necessary effort to better understand — and ultimately address — the lack of affordable housing for service members and their families stationed at Fairchild, and it is an encouraging step in the right direction,” said Rodgers. “I am grateful to the secretary for taking our concerns seriously and hope this review will lead to an improvement in meeting military housing demand.”

She continued, “Seeing as this report will not be conducted until FY23, we must not forget that military families in the Spokane area are still facing very real housing challenges that cannot be pushed aside. Rent and housing prices are soaring, and on-base housing is scarce. I look forward to working together on an interim solution to address these concerns and ensure every servicemember and their family has access to safe, affordable housing until the new HRMA report is completed.”

“As many servicemembers and their families at Fairchild Air Force Base continue struggling to find affordable housing, I’m glad to see the Air Force listening to our concerns and taking this important step towards addressing the severe housing shortage our airmen at Fairchild face, both on base and in the local community,” said Murray. “We have a duty to our servicemembers and their families—at Fairchild and across our state and globe—to make sure they have a safe and affordable place to call home, and I’m going to keep pushing until they do. I appreciate the Air Force working with us to get this done, and I look forward to working with them and Representative McMorris Rodgers on further actions to address these housing shortages in the meantime.”

CLICK HERE to read the letter the lawmakers sent to Secretary Kendall earlier this month.

CLICK HERE to read the secretary’s announcement.

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