ROCKVILLE, MD – Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) released the following statement on why Maryland would be the best home for the new, consolidated Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters.
“The Maryland sites are clearly superior for the new FBI headquarters. On the merits, placing the new home for the consolidated FBI HQ in Maryland would be cost effective and provide the best value to the American taxpayer, ensure a diverse workforce, provide easy transportation access, and fulfill the mission of the FBI,” said Rep. Raskin. “Our nation’s top intelligence agency desperately needs a reinvigorated facility to perform its law enforcement and national security missions, and the two Maryland sites clearly meet the needs of a new consolidated headquarters with the quickest construction schedule.”
“Further, a Maryland FBI headquarters in the National Capital Region’s only majority-Black jurisdiction would mark a defining new start for an agency whose history in the last century was defined by Hoover-era racism,” Rep. Raskin continued. “A Prince George’s County location would increase economic opportunity and offer historic investment in an underserved community and presents an extraordinary opportunity to advance the president’s commitment to equity, including by redressing past inequities. I share the hopes of my Maryland House and Senate colleagues, Governor Moore and Lt. Governor Miller, County Executive Alsobrooks, and all of those who have worked to place the FBI in Maryland that the GSA will move forward with fairness, integrity and adhering to Congressional intent.”
The FBI is now headquartered in Washington, D.C., in the J. Edgar Hoover Building, with outdated infrastructure and security limitations that raise significant national security concerns, which prompted Congress over a decade ago to investigate the feasibility and need to construct a new consolidated headquarters facility to support information sharing, collaboration, and integration of strategic priorities. In 2013, the General Services Administration (GSA) chose three acceptable sites for the new facility, including two Maryland sites in Prince George’s County—Greenbelt and Landover—and one in Fairfax County, Virginia. In March 2022, Congress directed GSA to select a site from one of the three proposed locations in an “expeditious manner.” In September 2022, GSA released its Site Selection Plan that listed five weighted criteria. In December 2022, Congress directed GSA to meet with representatives from Maryland and Virginia to “further consider perspectives related to mission requirements, sustainable siting and equity, and evaluate the viability of GSA’s Site Selection Criteria for the FBI Headquarters to ensure it is consistent with Congressional intent.”
Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation and state and local leaders met with GSA on March 8, 2023, to discuss why the Maryland locations are best suited for the new FBI headquarters.
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