Norton Says Crucial Senate Construction Funding for DHS Consolidation at St. Elizabeths Ensures its Continuation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that she was elated that the Senate's fiscal year 2015 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill provides virtually all the funds requested by the Administration, over $250.5 million, for continuing work on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters, currently under construction on the West Campus of St. Elizabeths in Ward 8, as she requested. The Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government approved the bill on June 24, 2014, but only publicly released it today. Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee-approved fiscal year 2015 DHS appropriations bill provides another $48.6 million for DHS consolidation at St. Elizabeths, although the Administration requested $73 million. The DHS construction received $190 million in fiscal year 2014 and the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Center building, which will house the DHS Secretary, is already out. The Request for Proposals (RFP) to contract for the Center Building is going out shortly, and is expected to be awarded by the end of the year. Both appropriations will help fund the Center Building for the Secretary and his staff, as well as operations, infrastructure and development.

"The fact that the Senate appropriations bill provides almost the entirety of the President's budget request shows that the DHS construction is too far along to stop now that all of the infrastructure is already in the ground, in addition to the cost-savings inherent in consolidating disparate DHS agencies," Norton said. "Although the House's Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill provided no funding for the DHS construction and consolidation, I expect the Senate allocation will survive."

The first building, the Coast Guard headquarters, was completed on time and on budget because Norton was able to get almost $1.4 billion for that building at one time as a part of stimulus funding. Since then, however, annual appropriations have failed to allocate the amounts needed to complete the complex on time, leading to steeply increased costs for the construction.

Last month, Norton published an op-ed in the Washington Post where she proposed the use of a public-private partnership to complete consolidation of DHS at St. Elizabeths more rapidly. She wrote that a public-private partnership to complete the complex would diminish reliance on yearly appropriations, which have been exclusively responsible for delays in construction and have exponentially raised the cost of the project. While pressing for a continuing federal commitment of funds, Norton continues to push for more innovative ways to complete the project.