The Department of Homeland Security is planning a $700 million pathogen research facility in a tornado-prone part of Kansas. The Government Accountability Office thinks this is a supremely bad idea, and that the analysis supporting the decision for placing the facility on the U.S. mainland — let alone in tornado alley — is not “scientifically defensible.” According to the Washington Post: “The GAO said DHS greatly underestimated the chance of accidental release and major contamination from such research, which has been conducted only on a remote island off the United States.” How could this happen? The Post suggests strong bipartisan support could have played a role. Republican Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts joined then-Governor (and now HHS Secretary) Kathleen Sebelius lobbied hard to get the facility in Kansas.