interior spending $139k to upgrade doors in zinke\'s office

WASHINGTON —
The Interior Ministry spent nearly $139,000 to upgrade three sets of double doors in Minister Ryan Zink\'s office.
Spokesman Heather Swift said Zinke was not aware of the contract for the work until the Associated Press requested it.
As part of a decade, career facilities and safety officials planned the project
The historic building, built in 1936, has undergone a long modernization drive, only a few blocks from the White House, she said.
\"The secretary is not aware of the contract, but agrees that it is a large sum of money for Demos, installations, materials and labor,\" Swift said in an email statement on Thursday . \".
\"Between regulations that require historical protection and outdated government procurement rules, everything from pencils to printing to doors is astronomical.
This is a perfect example of why the secretary thinks we need to reform the procurement process.
\"From the corridor to the current door of the sixth place of the Secretary --
The floor office is not locked, so a security upgrade is required, Swift said.
Orders for the $138,670 work of the Home Office were included in the online government procurement database completed in November, revised with the \"Secretary\'s door\" note to explain the purpose of the payment.
Swift says the date on the online invoice is incorrect and the door has not been fixed yet.
The design work of the project was approved last month and is expected to be installed this summer.
Records show that the Maryland contractor Conquest Solutions LLC hired to complete the work has done several renovation projects in the federal building.
On Thursday, a man who answered the phone at the company hung up when the reporter asked about Jinke\'s office.
An Interior Ministry official familiar with the project said the work involved three sets of double doors in the secretary\'s office, including two doors leading to the corner balcony, spectacular views of the Washington Monument and the National Mall.
The third passage leads to a corridor with a portrait of the former interior minister.
The official asked not to be named because he had no right to speak publicly about the project, which was planned for nearly two years.
Zinke took office on March 2017.
Interior Ministry officials say the current balcony door leaks \"like a sieve\" whenever it rains, forcing workers to mop the ground.
The official said the new balcony door will be made of fiberglass specially manufactured by the conquest solution, including glass beams and fiberglass door frames above the door.
Zinke is one of the Trump Cabinet officials recently reviewed.
Last year, he spent $53,000 on three helicopter trips, one of which allowed him to ride with Vice
President Mike Pence
\"This opens the door to more disturbing questions about how Zinke is wasting taxpayers\' money,\" said Shripal Shah, spokesman for the Democratic group American Bridge,
\"The Secretary of State must believe that he received a blank check on the day he was confirmed, but the American public will not tolerate his reckless consumption habits.
\"On September, the Minister of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, was forced to resign after media reports that he spent at least $400,000 in taxpayer money on private aircraft for himself and his employees.
The director of Environmental Protection, Scott Pruitt, recently said he might start taking a coach because he previously claimed he needed to take first class for safety reasons.
Pruitt also spent $25,000 on a soundproof \"privacy kiosk\" in the office to prevent eavesdropping on his phone.
It also cost $9,000 to buy biometric locks and have Pruitt\'s office sweep away hidden listening devices.
Last month, Ben Carson, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, was fired after reports that his agency was spending $31,000 to buy new restaurants.
According to HUD officials, reports of the purchase were made without Carson\'s knowledge, after an employee at HUD accused her of refusing to fund the expensive renovation of Carson\'s office, she was demoted and she said it was done at the request of Carson\'s wife.
After media reports highlighted spending, HUD canceled orders for new furniture.
The door project is not the first time the office of the Minister of Interior has been reviewed.
The renovation cost of 2007 of the secretary\'s personal bathroom is $222,000, which includes one bedroom
Zero fridge and custom cabinets. ——