Van Hollen Secures New FBI HQ Language in CJS Appropriations Bill

Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced that he successfully secured new language on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters location as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill. The legislation sends a clear message that the Senate has deep concerns with the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) recent proposal to keep the FBI at its current location and that at least one of the three original proposed sites should continue to be considered as a final choice.

 

“The J. Edgar Hoover Building is crumbling and faces serious security risks – there is no question that the FBI needs a new headquarters facility. For over a decade, both the FBI and the GSA have told us they need a fully consolidated FBI headquarters that would meet its mission and its security requirements. The FBI and GSA had identified three sites that met those needs – but the Administration's new proposal abandoned the earlier findings without adequate justifications. Indeed, the Administration's new proposal directly contradicts earlier findings that the current site does not meet the FBI requirements ” said Senator Van Hollen. “This bipartisan bill makes it clear that the Congress does not accept the Administration’s new position and that any new prospectus should include one of the earlier identified sites. We will not spend billions of dollars on this project until there is a clear plan that meets the needs of the FBI. If President Trump really wants a secure headquarters for our nation’s top law enforcement entity, we urge him to work with us on this effort.”

 

Senator Van Hollen has consistently pushed for a new FBI headquarters that meets the agency’s needs and the highest security standards, and he strongly opposed the Administration’s decision to cancel the previous request for proposals. He recently pressed both the FBI and GSA in a hearing about the new proposal at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing. Prince George's County, Maryland was home to two of the three finalist locations for the fully consolidated FBI headquarters.

 

 

FBI Headquarters. – Due to concerns about the FBI Headquarters Revised Nationally-Focused Consolidation Plan which was sent to Congress by the General Services Administration on February 12, 2018, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2018 included no funding for this project. No funds were requested for the project for fiscal year 2019 and no funds are provided in this bill. The Committee continues to be reluctant to appropriate funds for this project due to the unanswered questions regarding the new plan, including the revision of longstanding mission and security requirements. The Committee encourages the FBI to work with GSA to submit a prospectus for a new fully-consolidated headquarters building, including at one of the three previously vetted sites that complies with prior Congressional directives and actions and meets ISC Level V security standards.

 

###