WASHINGTON — The decades-long effort to move the Federal Bureau of Investigation from its dilapidated headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., to a modern facility outside the city could face obstacles next year.
President-elect Donald Trump and some of his key allies in Congress have rebuked the federal agency that conducted the search for a modern suburban site and ultimately chose Greenbelt, Maryland, over two other options.
Once Trump is back in the Oval Office and the GOP controls both chambers of Congress, the stream of funding for the General Services Administration to build the modern facility could end.
Republican lawmakers could also require the GSA to restart the search process, change the criteria the federal agency used to select the Greenbelt site, or simply tell the agency it must build the modern headquarters at a different location. Other options circulated by GOP lawmakers This includes Alabama and somewhere in the District of Columbia. Or they could require the GSA to build the modern FBI headquarters in either Springfield, Virginia, or Landover, Maryland – the other two locations being considered for modern construction.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the spending panel that controls the GSA budget, told States Newsroom he believes the matter has been resolved, in part because some funding has already been committed to the project.
“We’re going to work very hard to make sure we keep the program on track,” Van Hollen said. “I think there is a consensus that the current FBI headquarters does not meet security and other requirements. So from our perspective, a decision has been made and we will work hard to ensure that it is implemented and implemented.”
Construction financing
Congress approved $200 million for the headquarters project this spring as part of a much larger government spending package.
In addition, financing is less secure.
The Democratic-controlled Senate Budget Committee has proposed $375 million for construction this year’s GSA spending bill. This measure, which includes numerous other funding proposals, received bipartisan support in a committee vote. Control of the Senate will pass to the GOP in January.
The House version of the billThe bill drafted by Republicans does not provide funding for a modern FBI headquarters and would require the GSA to send to Congress “a detailed plan and schedule to support personnel stationed in the District of Columbia by replacing the current FBI headquarters remains operational or another federally owned headquarters is identified.” Location in the District of Columbia that can serve as FBI headquarters.”
The two chambers are likely to negotiate a final bicameral version of the bill in the early months of next year, once the GOP has unified control of Congress and the White House.
Trump Hotel
Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said in an interview that he hadn’t really thought about whether his state could become the modern location for the FBI headquarters.
“If you just look at history, Trump didn’t want to put money into a new FBI headquarters,” Kaine said. “He didn’t want the block where the FBI was working to be vacated and opened up for a hotel that could compete with his own hotel. So for four years, Trump basically did everything he could to prevent a move and to prevent the operate of funds for the move.
“Now he may not have the same financial interest as he did back then, I bet it’s hard to say.”
During his first term, Trump owned a hotel in the venerable post office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, but it was later sold and is now a Waldorf Astoria. The building is about a block from the current FBI headquarters.
Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the top Democrat on the House panel that funds the GSA, told States Newsroom there is “no doubt” that the Greenbelt site is “the best site, both in terms of safety and security.” also in relation to finances”.
“I will continue to advance this position,” Hoyer said. “We need to get this done for the FBI and for the American people. The building literally collapses. And the fact that we have delayed this … is evidence that we have increased costs and reduced security for federal employees at the FBI, and that we should move forward. And hopefully we will.”
The governor’s offices of Maryland and Virginia declined to comment for this article. A GSA official said in background information that the agency has submitted a report to Congress that it requested The spending package was approved by lawmakers in March 2022.
The GSA, the person said, is trying to get “resolutions” from congressional committees before committing money to purchase the site or begin design and construction work. They said this is consistent with other major development projects that require congressional approval. It was not clear what these resolutions would say.
The evaluation of the selection process is continuing
The GSA has been under scrutiny for more than a year by its inspector general for the way it conducted the site selection process, a factor that could potentially complicate things during unified Republican control of Washington.
Acting GSA Inspector General Robert Erickson an evaluation started entered the agency’s process in November 2023, a few weeks after GSA announced his decision to select the Greenbelt, Maryland location.
This assessment is ongoing and the inspector general continues to work “thoroughly and expeditiously” on the project, according to a spokesperson.
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner told States Newsroom in a brief interview that he was waiting for the inspector general’s assessment before deciding on a path forward.
“I know people thought it might come out in the spring. That wasn’t the case,” Warner said. “According to the reports we have, the investigation is still ongoing and let’s first see what it says.”
Hoyer said he does not expect the results of that assessment to impact the relocation of FBI headquarters to Greenbelt.
“I think everything was done absolutely the way it should have been,” Hoyer said. “Both sides have publicly argued about the merits of their websites.”
Debate about process
FBI Director Christopher Wray also questioned the decision Last year, he wrote in a letter to employees that he and others had “concerns about the fairness and transparency of the process,” although he wrote that these “concerns are not about the decision itself, but about the process.”
Trump has announced he will nominate Kash Patel as FBI director, although Wray would first have to be fired or resign. Trump has not yet named a candidate to lead the GSA.
The Greenbelt decision led to some bipartisanship in Congress, with House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, and Representative Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Virginia, calls on the GSA to conduct a comprehensive investigation include in the site selection process.
The two said the most troubling aspect to them was that then-GSA Public Building Services Commissioner Nina Albert “overturned the unanimous siting decision of an expert panel of officials representing the GSA and its agency client, the FBI.”
Albert left this position on October 13, 2023, approximately a month before the final decision was announced. General Services Administrator Robin Carnahan had also done so said two years earlier Albert had no conflict of interest.
“Congress established the GSA in 1949 to increase the efficiency and economy of the federal government’s operations – not least the acquisition and use of property,” Comer and Connolly wrote in their letter. “To achieve this mission, GSA must be fair and transparent in its operations. Its real estate dealings should only consider what is best for the taxpayer and the nation. It must disregard political or provincial interests.”
Comer and Connolly added that they were “deeply concerned that GSA’s choice of a new FBI headquarters location departed from these principles – and failed to put taxpayers and the public interest first.”
Last updated on December 4, 2024 at 2:28 p.m
