President Barack Obama is proposing Congress provide another infusion of cash to continue construction of a new biosecurity lab in Kansas.
The president’s budget was announced Tuesday and includes $300 million for the Department of Homeland Security to continue work on the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility under construction near Kansas State University.
The $1.25 billion new lab is designed to conduct research on large animals and related diseases to replace an aging facility at Plum Island, N.Y.
Construction began in 2013 on a central utility plant that will provide power and other services for the lab. DHS says construction on the main lab is expected to begin sometime this year, with the beginning operations at a date yet to be announced.
