WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the following after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called for a suspension on collecting bonus repayments to National Guard members.
Yesterday, Johnson sent a letter to Secretary Carter urging DOD to cease collection of the bonus repayments and explain its decision to seek recoupment of re-enlistment bonuses paid out nearly 10 years ago.?
“Secretary Carter’s decision to cease and desist the recoupment of re-enlistment bonuses will come as a relief to many service members and their families who literally have been paying the price for the Pentagon’s mistake. I am grateful that Secretary Carter heeded my call to stop the harassment of our veterans. The Pentagon’s initial decision to recoup money from service members was a terrible error in judgment and was not in line with the tremendous debt of gratitude we owe our servicemen and women for their sacrifices. We owe our troops better than this, and I will continue my oversight to help ensure we do not repeat these mistakes in the future.”
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