Reps. Hudson and Duncan File Amendment to Halt Excessive Spending On New Homeland Security Headquarters

Press Release

Today, U.S. Representatives Richard Hudson (NC-08) and Jeff Duncan (SC-03), members of the House Homeland Security Committee, filed an amendment to the omnibus appropriations package to suspend further funding for the construction of the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters at St. Elizabeth's campus to prevent excessive waste of taxpayer dollars.

"I am shocked and disgusted at the amount of waste that my colleagues have unearthed around the consolidation of DHS' headquarters at St. Elizabeth's campus," said Hudson. "Taxpayers have already forked over more than a billion dollars and now DHS claims they need another three billion. Make no mistake, I will do everything I can to stop this ridiculous exercise until the DHS and GSA come forward and provide some answers."

"I'm proud to join Representative Hudson in providing yet more oversight of the DHS's headquarters construction project," said Duncan. "I released a Majority Staff report last week to highlight the questionable decisions made by DHS to date and how many taxpayer dollars are at stake. DHS's plan to finish construction in 2026 and spend another $3 billion is unaffordable and unrealistic. Taxpayers should not spend more on this project until DHS can explain its decisions and reassess its path ahead."

Last week, Rep. Duncan, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, released a Majority Staff report entitled "Reality Check Needed: Rising Costs and Delays in Construction of New DHS Headquarters at St. Elizabeths." The report found that it remains unclear how active DHS officials were in choosing the site of their future headquarters. Furthermore, DHS has pushed final completion to fiscal year 2026, 10 years beyond the original schedule, and delays in construction have increased costs by 30% - about $1 billion.

The amendment introduced today suspends further funding for the new facility until DHS and GSA can prove that they have selected the lowest cost plan available for relocation of its headquarters.

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