DORGAN CALLS DHS DECISIONS ON NORTHERN BORDER PORTS OF ENTRY SPENDING 'A COSTLY MISTAKE'
Friday, October 30, 2009
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision to proceed with their plans to tear down and rebuild facilities at 22 northern border ports of entry at a new estimated cost of $10 to $12 million each will be a waste of taxpayer money.
“I just strongly disagree with the decision,” said Dorgan. “These are small northern border crossings that are averaging five vehicles an hour. To destroy existing facilities and to rebuild them at a cost of $12 million for each port of entry is way out of line.”
Dorgan said he plans to ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the plan by DHS and do an independent cost/benefit analysis.
“The plan for these small northern border ports of entry, nine of which are in my state, is driven by security requirements that were developed in 2006 by the agency,” added Dorgan.
“I just disagree with those requirements. A number of these ports have had recent upgrades and improvements and can be further modified with much less spending than is now being proposed by DHS.”
“The issue here is the spending more than a hundred million dollars above that which I think would be a reasonable investment to upgrade our northern border ports of entry.”
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