WASHINGTON – The Secret Service’s head is set to request a new $8 million White House to be built in Prince George’s County amid accusations that the embattled agency is not adequately protecting the White House.
On Tuesday, Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy will meet with the House Appropriations Committee to request funding for a new training facility: a more complete replica of the White House to be built in Beltsville, Maryland, according to The New York Times.
The Secret Service already has a 500-acre training facility in Beltsville with replicas of the White House that are not to scale, The Times reports. Agents use bike barricades to simulate fences on the property, Clancy told The Times.
Clancy contends that a more realistic White House could better train officers and agents to protect the real thing.
The Beltsville training facility would mimic the facade of the White House residence, the East and West Wings, guard booths and the grounds and roads near the president’s house, according to The Times.
The Secret Service has come under scrutiny during the last few months.
Last week, two Secret Service agents were accused of crashing a car into a White House security barrier after a night of drinking.
A series of fence-jumper incidents have also marred the agency’s reputation. In September a knife-wielding man jumped the North Fence and made it into the White House.
The man, Omar Gonzalez, pleaded guilty last Friday to entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon plus assaulting, resisting or impeding a Secret Service officer.
For the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue model in Beltsville, it is not yet clear if the structure would be a full-scale replica. Officials told The Times the design had not yet been completed.
