Va. delegation warns of efforts to stall construction of Fort Pickett training facility
In a rare bipartisan move, members of Virginia's congressional delegation have joined forces to warn that legislation pending in Congress would jeopardize funding for the planned Foreign Affairs Security Training Center at Fort Pickett.
The annual House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill includes language that the members believe was designed as a protest against the selection of Fort Pickett over other possible sites and part of a broader attempt to derail the process.
The U.S. Department of State announced last month its plans to move forward with the construction of $413 million facility in Nottoway County, 50 miles southwest of Richmond.
In a letter that was delivered to the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations this morning, the Virginia members urge them to oppose the language.
“Continued attempts by some members of Congress to allege malfeasance with the selection of Fort Pickett only serves to further delay this project and inserts a level of risk to our State Department personnel that is unacceptable,” the letter said.
It was signed by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Timothy M. Kaine, D-Va, along with U.S. Reps. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D-3rd, J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, Robert Hurt, R-5th, Dave Brat, R-7th, Don Beyer, D-8th, and Gerry Connolly, D-11th.
"The tragedy of this entire situation is that, since the requirement for this facility was identified over six years ago, four Americans serving in Benghazi were killed,” the letter continues.
"Yet, instead of accelerating the construction of a facility at Fort Pickett that, according to Assistant Secretary of State Gregory Starr is 'the most effective solution' to better protect our foreign affairs personnel, we are wasting more time and putting Americans in danger," it said.
The center is set to train between 8,000 and 10,000 State Department employees a year in such areas as firearms, explosives, anti-terrorism driving techniques, defensive tactics and security operations.
Lawmakers have also hailed the facility as to likely boost the economy in a struggling area of Virginia.
Fort Pickett, which currently serves as an Virginia Army National Guard installation, was chosen a little over a year ago to be the home of the training center, beating out nearly 80 contenders, including sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia and West Virginia after a multi-year search.
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