By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The long-delayed effort to build a new FBI headquarters has gotten the green light from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to move forward.
But the GSA still needs to finalize the location of the new headquarters, Federal News Radio reports.
The committee approval was praised by chairman Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa.
“This will greatly improve the FBI’s security posture and its operations, and save money. But because of the size and complexity of the project, it will important to ensure there is strong congressional oversight to keep the project on time and on budget,” Shuster said.
The plan calls for the GSA and FBI to pay for the headquarters. President Obama’s 2017 budget proposal includes $1.4 billion for the project, which has already received $390 million under the fiscal 2016 omnibus spending bill.
Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., said many challenges are involved.
“What makes this project challenging is it is not a simple construction project of a single building. The project will be a secure campus with separate visitor screening, its own utility plant and specialized security requirements,” Barletta said.
