WCBC

May 1st, 2017 by WCBC Radio

Today U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee (T&I), announced funding for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Headquarters Consolidation project in the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus Funding bill. The bill includes $323 million in the FBI account and $200 million in the General Services Administration (GSA) account, as well as a commitment from Congress to fund the remainder of the project in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018.

 

“Today's funding is a significant step toward full consolidation of the FBI headquarters, which is a national security imperative. 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,” the lawmakers said. “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.”

 

Relocation will allow the FBI to move from its outdated headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building and more than 20 satellite offices across the D.C. region into a single headquarters built to meet the agency's requirements. The project has been authorized by Congress and has had the strong support of Maryland's Congressional delegation to provide the necessary resources, including $390 million in the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill. Two of the final three sites on the GSA shortlist are in Maryland, and both Prince George's County and the State have committed support for the project. It would bring nearly 11,000 jobs to Maryland.