Carper Applauds Opening of New DHS Headquarters

Completion of Center Building at St. Elizabeths solidifies Carper’s work over years to unite the department on one campus  

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), senior Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), attended a tour and ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Center Building at St. Elizabeths to celebrate the completion of the building, which now houses the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and support staff. The completion of a consolidated Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters project at the St. Elizabeths West campus will improve the ability of DHS to achieve its mission and save taxpayers significant amounts of money by moving DHS components into owned, rather than leased, property according to a 2016 report released by Senator Carper. The full report can be found here: “DHS Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths: Better Results for Less Money.”

“The headquarters consolidation project at St. Elizabeths is crucial to the success of the department and to realizing the unified, cohesive DHS envisioned by Congress when it created the department 17 years ago,” said Senator Carper. “Following the attacks of September 11th, this department was formed from many disparate agencies. It wasn’t an easy task, and it still isn’t to bring all of its components together, especially when they are scattered all across the city and region. This campus at St. Elizabeths, which has been years in the making, will help to change that and finally unite this critical department. Bringing together key leadership and agency personnel in one centralized location is critical to supporting DHS’s mission, reducing management challenges, and making the department’s operations more efficient. A single campus will also enhance national security and allow for a swift, coordinated response across the department when emergencies occur. It will also save taxpayers significant money over time through housing these agencies in owned, rather than leased, government space, which cannot be overlooked.”

Carper continued, “The completion of the St. Elizabeths campus makes good financial and managerial sense and will build on recent efforts to help make the department more than just the sum of its parts. Today, I’m honored to join Acting Secretary McAleenan, Administrator Murphy, Chairman Johnson and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to see all of our hard work over the years finally come to fruition.”

Today’s ribbon cutting celebrates the completion of the Center Building at St. Elizabeths, which now houses the Acting Secretary of DHS and support staff. Further, and in addition to the Coast Guard Headquarters building, significant infrastructure investments have also been completed or are nearing completion at the site, such as the central utility plant, the perimeter security fence around the campus, and roadway infrastructure.   

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