The changes proposed by the Senate Armed Services Committee promote spending more on behalf of a service member(SM) to procure private housing to receive the maximum entitlement, as opposed to encouraging smart financial decisions to save money on housing costs. The proposed changes to the inside Continental United States (CONUS) Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to mimic the Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) do not encourage cost savings but rather encourage the SM to spend the maximum amount allotted to receive full benefits, which has driven up overseas rent costs in military base areas overseas. Furthermore, the changes proposed do not include a utility allowance like OHA does, which makes the comparison erroneous. Additionally, changes specifically target married/co-habitant SM.
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