Silver Spring, MD –
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today participated in the official ribbon cutting for the latest facility, Building 51, at the FDA's White Oak Federal Research Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was joined by Senate colleague Barbara A. Mikulski
, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt, and FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach. The new Building 51 will house more than 1,000 FDA employees and contractors. It is the second office building for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, at FDA’s new Headquarters campus at White Oak.

“Delivered on-time and on-budget, this state-of-the-art, consolidated facility at White Oak represents, not only thousands of high quality jobs for Maryland, but it strengthens our nation’s ability to protect and promote the public health. I am proud that we were able to transform a former military campus into a world-wide center of effective, efficient and environmentally friendly civilian facilities that will meet the challenges of safety, global markets and consumer demand for the 21
^st Century,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Budget and Senate Environment and Public Works Committees.
 

“The synergy created by this project will help the state of Maryland and our nation. But our job is not yet complete. Team Maryland will continue to push forward to provide the funds necessary to finalize the White Oak Federal Research Center, including the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), which would replace five current CBER labs. A consolidated, modern lab is badly needed to support critical anti-bioterrorism responsibilities, including the development of vaccines against such threats as anthrax, smallpox and plague.”

The FDA complex will be comprised of 14 interconnected buildings in a campus setting.
  The new complex replaces 39 fragmented facilities in the Washington, DC, metro area, co-locating approximately 8,000 employees in award-winning new laboratories, office buildings and support facilities. The entire complex is employing 'green technology' to make the site a model of land-use and building efficiency.