Team Maryland Calls Trump Administration’s Decision to Cancel FBI Headquarters Consolidation Procurement Wasteful, Urges Immediate Restart

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) released the following joint statement of disapproval in response to the announcement from the Trump Administration, through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), that they are canceling the current request for proposals to construct a new fully consolidated FBI headquarters. Prince George's County, Md., was home to two of the three finalist locations for the fully consolidated FBI headquarters.

"Canceling the current request for proposals for a fully consolidated FBI headquarters puts America's national security at risk. The Hoover Building is crumbling around the FBI. It is unfathomable that the Trump Administration would fail to move forward on a secure headquarters for the FBI workforce that serves on the front lines of our nation's law enforcement and counter terrorism efforts.

"Congress has spoken very clearly on multiple occasions that it intends to fully fund the consolidated FBI project. The State of Maryland and Prince George's County have invested immense resources and time into this project. But for the Administration, after failing to include any funding in the President's FY18 budget request, to pull the plug on this procurement precipitously before the FY18 Appropriations process is even halfway complete, is a waste of hundreds of millions of federal, state and local taxpayer dollars.

"Our national security mandates that we move forward with building a secure, fully consolidated FBI headquarters. We strongly disagree with this decision. If the Trump Administration is unwilling to reconsider its position, then we urge GSA to move forward as quickly as possible by selecting one of the other various financing mechanisms identified and thoroughly examined by GSA. Team Maryland, including our federal delegation, state andlocal officials, will continue to work together to ensure the fully consolidated FBI headquarters project comes to fruition."