Maryland Senators: We've Got the Money, So Give Us the FBI Headquarters

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The General Services Administration is still mulling three sites for the future FBI headquarters -- one in Springfield, Va. and the other two in Prince George's County. But both of Maryland's U.S. senators said in a statement this week that they've secured more than half the funding for the new headquarters, so the GSA should hurry up and make a decision (and choose Prince George's County, they added).

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced funding for the FBI Headquarters Consolidation project in the fiscal 2017 Omnibus Funding bill, including $323 million for the FBI account and $200 million in the GSA account, as well as a commitment from Congress to fund the rest in fiscal 2018.

“Today's funding is a significant step toward full consolidation of the FBI headquarters, which is a national security imperative," the senators wrote in the statement. "While we had looked for full funding immediately, now that Congress has provided even greater resources toward the cost of this project and a commitment to FY18, the General Services Administration should proceed with final site selection without delay.

"We believe that the Prince George’s County, Maryland sites would best meet the needs of the FBI and its employees, and we urge the General Services Administration and Office of Management and Budget to move forward with the process of providing FBI with an updated, fully consolidated modern facility that will support its work for the American people.”

The project would consolidate more than 20 FBI offices, including its headquarters at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown D.C.

Greenbelt and Landover are the two PG County sites under consideration. Reports late last year indicated a decision could come as early as December, but the GSA still hasn't come to a decision.

About half of FBI headquarters employees are housed in the Hoover building, in addition to multiple FBI divisions throughout the region. They would all be brought under one roof with this project.

The biggest change for the FBI came after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the agency -- like many others -- brought on a lot more employees. GSA first issued a request for information for a new site back in December 2012, and narrowed it down to three sites in July 2014.

The new facility would span 2.1 million square feet and accommodate 11,055 employees. It would cost about $2.5 billion to build, according to reports.

Image via Wikimedia user Aude