A report from Sen. Tom Carper (D-Delaware) estimates that the Department of Homeland Security will save nearly $1.2 billion over 30 years if DHS completes the consolidation of its headquarters at the St. Elizabeths West campus in Washington, D.C.
The report, titled “DHS Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths: Better Results for Less Money,” recommends the incoming administration to prioritize the construction of the consolidated DHS headquarters, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said Monday.
Carper said the project will consolidate leadership and agency personnel as well as multiple DHS entities into one campus in an effort to boost national security and emergency response coordination.
He also urged Congress to fully fund President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2017 budget request or provide DHS and the General Services Administration with maximum flexibility over the use of available funds.
Obama’s budget request includes $225.6 million to support the St. Elizabeths construction project and another $266.6 million to build a federally-owned headquarters for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The DHS HQ consolidation effort has received approximately two-thirds of necessary funds and requires three years of additional funding to complete, the committee said.
The project could be completed in 2021 if fully funded and could incur $70 million in construction delay overages if not funded.
