Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Brown, Hogan, and Alsobrooks Applaud the Inclusion of Language Providing for the New FBI Headquarters in President Biden’s 2023 Budget

Today, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer (Md.-05) and Anthony Brown (Md.-04), Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks released the following statement after the President unveiled his budget for the Fiscal Year 2023, which includes language to ensure the FBI will have a new, consolidated suburban headquarters that will house 7,500 employees.

“We are pleased that President Biden’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2023 includes language for the new FBI headquarters. This has been a top priority for Team Maryland: the new campus will ensure that 7,500 employees have a suitable and secure location to protect our national security. The President’s budget is evidence that his Administration is serious about moving forward with a consolidated headquarters that can effectively serve the American people. We look forward to working with President Biden and his Administration to continue advancing this project, and are confident the Maryland sites in Greenbelt and Landover are the best locations for a consolidated FBI headquarters location. We join in thanking President Biden for his dedication to this important priority, and we continue to advocate for the Greenbelt and Landover sites as they are the best locations for this project.”  

Since 2004, the FBI has been discussing a new consolidated headquarters with the GSA. Such a facility would consolidate the headquarters employees currently located at the Hoover Building with others in leased locations around the National Capital Region. During the Obama Administration, the GSA and FBI identified two sites in Maryland that met the needs of the FBI for a new headquarters – Greenbelt and Landover. The Trump Administration abruptly stopped work on this process, negating nearly 14 years of planning and advocacy, and suggested that the FBI’s needs be served by tearing down the Hoover Building and building a new headquarters on the existing site. The Trump plan would have failed to provide adequate security for the FBI community and would not have met critical needs. Given these concerns, the Congressional delegation successfully fought throughout the Trump Administration to preserve the FBI headquarters project at the three original sites, as defined by years of study and a Congressionally-approved prospectus.

After years of delays, the members of the Maryland Congressional delegation fought to include language in the Omnibus FY2022 package to advance the process for constructing a new consolidated FBI headquarters project. This language was included in the section of the bill under the jurisdiction of the Senate Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) Appropriations Subcommittee, which is chaired by Senator Van Hollen. The language included in the omnibus requires GSA to finally select a site for the FBI that will meet FBI’s needs today and into the future.