Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1638. Mr. Speaker, since construction began in 2006, the Department of Homeland Security's consolidated headquarters on St. Elizabeth's historic Washington, D.C. campus has been riddled with cost overruns and construction delays, at times estimated to be more than $1 billion over budget and 12 years behind schedule. As the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, I conducted rigorous oversight of the project, including holding a hearing in September 2014. Having visited the site, I saw firsthand the immense challenges that lie ahead. While we are encouraged by the recently updated DHS St. Elizabeth's plan, we still believe that increased oversight of the consolidation project will help ensure accountability and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, especially considering this project was fully funded through the fiscal year 2016 appropriations, and DHS alone has requested $225 million for fiscal year 2017. This bill that we are talking about today, the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act, a companion to H.R.…”