By Michelle Ye Hee Lee | The Arizona Republic
U.S. Sen. John McCain is demanding answers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on taxpayer-funded housing projects in the former mining community of Ajo.
The Arizona Republican also sent the CBP a copy of proposed legislation by him and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., that would promote energy savings in residential buildings and “prevent waste and overspending in the federal government construction projects,” such as the Ajo housing project.
The Arizona Republic reported last month that the CBP paid more than $15 million for housing for its personnel in Ajo. That included 21 two- and three-bedroom houses that cost the government more than $600,000 apiece. Most homes of comparable size in the small southern Arizona community cost less than $100,000.
