Does DHS Need to be More Accountable for Managing its Headquarters Construction Project? (H.R. 1640)

What is H.R. 1640?

(Updated July 19, 2017)

This bill would require the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress on the DHS headquarters consolidation project with details on timelines and cost estimates.

Plans to build a headquarters to bring DHS operations and most of its employees under one roof have been in place since 2006. Projected costs for a facility at the time were around $3.45 billion.

Argument in favor

The DHS headquarters project epitomizes all that’s wrong with government-planned construction projects: it’s 10 years behind schedule and nearly $1 billion over budget. Congress needs to tighten the reins.

Argument opposed

The DHS and GSA have a handle on the cost overruns and delays with a newly reconfigured plan. Let them move forward with that — without Congress over their shoulder.

Impact

DHS operations and employees, contractors and others involved in the HQ construction, the GAO, and Congress.

Cost of H.R. 1640

The CBO estimates that implementing this legislation would cost less than $500,000.

Additional Info

In-Depth: In an attempt to reduce runaway costs to the project, the General Services Administration — which manages the federal government’s office space, and DHS have reconfigured their plan to reduce cost estimates back down to $3.7 billion. This would be done in part by utilizing more of the historic buildings on the Congress Heights campus, and also by reducing the average amount of space set aside for each worker.

The House Homeland Security Committee passed this legislation via voice vote.

• House Homeland Security Committee Press Release
• CBO Cost Estimate
• FederalTimes (Context)
• Washington Post (Context)
• Washington Business Journal (Context)
  

Summary by Eric Revell
("Center building at Saint Elizabeths, August 23, 2006" by User:Tomf688 - User:Tomf688. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.)