The U.S. General Services Administration’s updated criteria for the new FBI headquarters favors two Prince George’s sites over Virginia.
In response to criticism last September, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently updated the criteria for choosing a new location for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) headquarters. With the recent updates, two sites in Prince George’s (Greenbelt or Landover) appear to be favored over one site in Virginia (Quantico). This latest development marks another turning point in an almost decade-long tug-of-war between Virginia & Marland over who will be awarded this plum allocation. The GSA estimates the new headquarters will come with a $2.5 billion investment and 7,500 permanent jobs.
According to WBAL:
Maryland officials, including Gov. Wes Moore, were encouraged that the announcement “corrects the flawed approach released in September that ignored taxpayer costs and the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equity,” they said in a statement.
“Today’s revised guidelines are a critical step in the right direction,” said Maryland officials, including Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen. “This update is in line with the language we secured in last year’s omnibus funding bill that both delegations supported.”
The three sites under review were selected in 2014 by GSA. These sites were identified because they all met the baseline requirements of the FBI, including being able to accommodate the size of a new headquarters facility and meet the federal government’s unique security requirements, among other items. Plans for relocating the headquarters were delayed during the Trump administration in favor of keeping the facility in Washington, D.C. In the Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Act, Congress directed GSA to select the location for the FBI’s suburban campus from among these three sites. In the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Act, Congress directed GSA to hold consultations with representatives of each site; these consultations were held in March 2023.
GSA anticipates making a site selection in the coming months. In parallel, efforts are underway to identify space for an FBI downtown DC facility, complementing the new suburban campus, in accordance with the FY 2023 and FY 2024 President’s Budgets. This site will allow for continued FBI accessibility to the Department of Justice and other key partners.
