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Maryland and Virginia senators have joined together to urge President Joe Biden to resume plans to build a new Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters, which could be built in either state.
The bureau鈥檚 current headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. 鈥� the J. Edgar Hoover Building 鈥� 鈥渉as crumbling facades, aging infrastructure, and security limitations that are severely impeding the FBI鈥檚 ability to meet its critical law enforcement and national security missions,鈥� wrote Maryland鈥檚 U.S. Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Virginia鈥檚 Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, all Democrats.
The Friday.
In 2014, the federal General Services Administration narrowed the list of potential new headquarters locations to two sites in Prince George鈥檚 County, and one site in Springfield, Va.
But shortly after President Trump took office, his administration decided to keep the current headquarters, which is on the same block as the Trump International Hotel.
鈥淭he Trump Administration鈥檚 move in 2017 to cancel the project ignored the intent of Congress and scrapped years鈥� worth of planning, organizing, and resources devoted to the project. Inquiries by members of the House of Representatives and the Senate into the White House鈥檚 role in canceling the project were met with obfuscation by agency officials,鈥� the senators wrote.
The lawmakers underscored Congress鈥� support for the move through years of policy and budget action.
Most recently, the Trump administration advocated for funding to renovate the existing FBI headquarters in a COVID-19 relief package, a move which congress rejected.
鈥淔or more than a decade, the condition and security of the FBI鈥檚 existing headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. have been serious concerns of Congress, which has provided authorizations and appropriations for a new consolidated headquarters at one of three previously identified sites. Unfortunately, the previous administration undermined this project, requiring your urgent attention to put it back on track,鈥� the senators wrote.
A 2018 inspector general鈥檚 report concluded that rebuilding the headquarters at its current location would cost more than relocation, and would accommodate 2,306 fewer employees than a consolidated suburban facility.
Congress has been pushing for a new headquarters for more than a decade.
In 2011, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a resolution calling for a new 2.1 million square-foot facility to be constructed on federal land near the D.C. Metro system and the Washington Beltway.
鈥淲hile we recognize that the previous administration鈥檚 actions were a setback for the project, we request that [the General Services Administration] and FBI finalize the plan as soon as possible, focusing the renewed effort on the sites previously identified as the top candidates,鈥� the lawmakers wrote.
