Press Releases

Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01) today called on the Obama Administration to make its analysis of a proposed State Department training facility public.  The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) review, which Carter recently read personally, makes clear that utilizing and expanding existing facilities at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) is more efficient and effective than building duplicative facilities at the proposed Foreign Affairs Training Center (FAST-C) at Fort Pickett, Virginia.  While the report is not classified, the OMB has thus far refused to publicly release the documents.

“The Obama Administration’s stonewalling of Congress and the American people on this issue has got to come to an end,” said Carter.  “The White House’s own analysis lays bare any illusion that building a duplicative new facility is a better use of taxpayer dollars than maximizing existing resources.  Releasing this report would better inform the debate over how to best meet the training needs of those protecting American outposts around the world.  Continuing to stifle congressional oversight serves to do little more than delay bringing this important training online.”

Carter’s reading of the OMB analysis would indicate:

• locating training facilities at FLETC would save taxpayers $812 million over 10 years;
• FLETC would be able to accommodate students more quickly than FASTC;
• not only is FLETC able to handle the complex scheduling needs of DS but could assist in the development and refinement of curriculum;
• FLETC can accommodate the training requirements laid out by DS;
• Transportation savings of locating FASTC at Fort Pickett would not exceed the capital cost savings of utilizing FLETC; and
• existing support services at FLETC provide an added value of $625 million over the State Department’s attempts to reduce its construction budget by removing such facilities.

To view a copy of the letter sent to OMB Director Shaun Donovan, please click here.

Background:

In 2013, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to service State’s training needs by augmenting the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), in Brunswick, Ga., which provides security training for DHS and 91 federal partner organizations, including the State Department, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies.

FLETC supports approximately 2,300 jobs in Glynn County, Georgia and more than 5,000 jobs throughout the state. Around the country, FLETC supports nearly 19,000 jobs with personal income totaling more than $975 million.

In its 2013 proposal to OMB, DHS included the construction of new buildings, weapons ranges, and transportation costs to meet the requirements of State’s original FAST-C master plan.  FLETC estimated that this new construction would cost $287 million. By leveraging its existing facilities to meet State’s training needs, FLETC estimates its proposal could also achieve significant cost savings over the long term.

The State Department proposed to construct the FAST-C facility in Virginia at a cost of $461 million. However, the State Department’s initial estimate of $950 million suggests there is an almost certain likelihood of cost escalation beyond the current $461 million proposal during construction.

In late 2013, OMB examined the FLETC and Fort Pickett plans. At this time, Chairman Royce and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs encouraged OMB to determine which proposal addresses the State Department’s training needs in the most fiscally responsible way. The Committee also requested that the Government Accountability Office perform an independent analysis of the proposals in September 2014.

The Committee was then made aware that OMB analysts had completed a written analysis recommending that the State Department pursue its diplomatic security training at FLETC. However, in April 2014, the Administration confirmed that it planned to adopt the State Department’s proposal to build FAST-C at Fort Pickett in Virginia instead of FLETC.

On May 19, 2014, Chairman Royce requested a copy of OMB’s analysis. After OMB failed to provide the information to Congress, Chairman Royce issued a subpoena to OMB for the documents.

After many official requests through relevant Committees, letters and phone calls, Carter viewed the OMB report on July, 30, 2015. Carter sent a letter to the OMB on August 11, 2015 requesting that the report be made public.

Carter represents the First District of Georgia where FLETC is located. Carter is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee with direct oversight over the Department of Homeland Security and the FLETC.