The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) could use a public-private partnership (PPP) to complete the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) St. Elizabeth campus in Southeast Washington.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) has called on the Office of Management and Budget to allow GSA to use a PPP project to develop the facility.

Holmes Norton stated:

The original sin that slows much federal construction is the tradition of paying upfront in cash and only through annual appropriations. But a public-private partnership could free DHS from the appropriations process.

The project has run more than US$1.5 billion over budget and is 11 years behind schedule. Since its inception, the department has had its temporary headquarters in Washington D.C.

The United States Coast Guard Headquarters project is the first project at the new DHS St. Elizabeths campus. This project is under construction. GSA has proposed a phased-development strategy to accommodate multiple Government agency headquarters:

• Phase 1A, US Coast Guard Headquarters
• Phase 1B, US Coast Guard Headquarters Shared-Use Spaces
• Phase 2A, Department of Homeland Security Headquarters; and National Operations Center (NOC)
• Phase 2B, Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters (FEMA)
• Phase 3, Transportation Security Administration Headquarters (TSA); Customs and Border Protection Headquarters (CBP); and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Headquarters (ICE)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the United States and its territories from and responding to terrorist attacks, man-made accidents, and natural disasters.