Lawmakers rip Pentagon plan to relocate civilian employees

House Government Reform Committee members today lambasted Pentagon officials for requiring the agency's leased space to meet more stringent security standards than those for other federal buildings.

Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and others said at a hearing that it is unclear why Defense Department employees -- many of whom are civilians -- need security standards separate from those for other federal workers.

Davis pointed out that the Rayburn House Office Building, where the hearing was held, does not meet the Pentagon's standards. He said Pentagon officials used those requirements to "justify seemingly arbitrary recommendations to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, including a recommendation to vacate a significant percentage of the National Capitol Region," which includes Davis' district.

Other panel members expressed similar concerns. "I don't think Cleveland ever stood a chance," said Rep. Steven LaTourette, R-Ohio. He asked whether Homeland Security officials monitoring the "chatter" of terrorists groups had heard threats against "the accountants" working at a Defense office building in his area.

Get Moy, director of Installations Resource Management at the Defense Department, said the agency developed its standards to protect personnel. He defended the requirement that leased buildings be set back a substantial distance from the road, saying it was meant to keep employees safe from "vehicle-borne explosives," which he called "a significant threat."

But Davis said he wanted to see more documentation explaining how the agency had arrived at its conclusions. He warned that Congress might not provide the financing for the relocations.

"You're being very shortsighted," Davis said. "You're not going to get funding through this House; you're not going to get funded through the Senate."

Davis also accused the Pentagon of putting security concerns ahead of other priorities, including recruiting qualified workers.

"I can give you something that's foolproof," he said. "You can put personnel in underground bunkers in the middle of the desert and surround them with soldiers. You won't be able to hire anyone; you won't get the job done. But at least they'll be safe."