Norton Says Walter Reed Language in Defense Authorization Bill Leaves D.C. Whole, Fair Compromise for Children’s National and the State Department

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that after her negotiations with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees she supports compromise language contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (NDAA), released last night, to dispose of the old Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Building and its attachments (Pathology Building) on the portion of the land at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) site expected to go to the State Department, as requested by Children's National Medical Center. Norton was instrumental in ensuring that at least 67 acres of the 110 acre WRAMC site will be occupied by the District of Columbia. She had supported language in the House-passed NDAA to authorize the transfer of the Pathology Building to Children's National, which desires to use their state-of-the-art lab space for research on children's health. However, the State Department wanted to demolish this space at a cost of up to $20 million for use sometime in the future when it can get funding. Norton objected, particularly considering that the State Department reportedly was seeking the Pathology Building and the rest of the land for free in violation of federal laws, which caused negotiations between the State Department and Department of Defense (DOD) to stall.

After learning of the provision in the House-passed NDAA, the State Department wanted up to eight acres of the 67 acres at the former WRAMC expected to be transferred from DOD to DC. Granting the State Department's request for the eight acres would have halted the transfer of the 67 acres to the District and forced the District to restart years of the lengthy planning for redevelopment.

"While the new language was not my first choice, it will keep the District of Columbia whole, and it was the best I could do for Children's National" Norton said. "It is fair to the State Department in giving the agency an opportunity to offer a fair price for the land. If there is no resolution, then the Pathology Building will be used for its intended purpose – to provide a public health benefit to the community."

The language will provide the State Department with an additional opportunity to negotiate with the DOD over disposal of the other 45 acres at WRAMC. However, if negotiations continue to stall, the DOD will have the opportunity to end negotiations with the State Department. At that point, the Pathology Building, approximately 13.2 acres, could be transferred to a public or private entity for a public health purpose. The remaining 32 acres would go through the standard Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) property disposal process, and thus would be available to the District of Columbia for any use.