After President Joe Biden permitted over 50,000 Afghans to stay at five military stations for months in 2021 and early 2022, creating damage, the federal government spent an estimated $189 million repairing the bases.
More than 86,000 Afghans will have been resettled in the United States by the time the U.S. military withdraws from the country in August 2021, as promised by President Joe Biden.
Initially, the United States held tens of thousands of Afghans across eight military bases. Camp Atterbury in Indiana, Fort Pickett in Virginia, Fort Lee in Texas, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, and Fort Bliss in Texas were just a few of the sites where the 50,000 men were stationed.
According to a report by the DoD Inspector General, base management has lost almost $189 million (DOD IG).
Right Now was the first to report massive financial losses sustained by Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, when more than 12,700 Afghan refugees found safety there.
They are repairing the Afghans’ $145 million damage to the dorms, hallways, ceilings, flooring, doors, toilets, plumbing, electrical systems, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, external cladding, and perimeter fence.
According to reports, it cost $575,000 to fix mattresses and beds for Afghans at Fort Bliss and $632,000 for those at Fort Lee.
Meanwhile, Afghans at Fort Pickett caused over $26 million in damage by smashing walls, doors, pipelines, HVAC, and fire alarms. At Camp Atterbury, $16 million was needed to replace or repair things like mattresses, furniture, floors, doors, windows, plumbing, fire alarms, and landscaping.