Montgomery County leaders applauded the newly-announced selection of Greenbelt in Prince George’s (PG) County as the location for new FBI headquarters.
“A win for the taxpayers and a win for the region,” County Executive Marc Elrich stated through social media on Wednesday. “This decision will lead to transformative change in our region for decades to come.”
“Big props to Governor Moore, Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, Congressman Ivey and our entire federal delegation on making a strong and compelling case for moving the FBI headquarters to Maryland,” County Council President Evan Glass stated. Earlier this year, Elrich and Glass co-wrote a letter lending their full support for locating the new, consolidated headquarters in PG County.
“This is huge news!” Council Vice President Andrew Friedson stated.
“This is a huge win for Maryland,” stated Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe.
In a video message, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin said Greenbelt is the best place for the FBI: “We worked together as a team to make this happen and we’re very very happy with the results.”
It’s official. The @FBI will build its new home in Greenbelt. @FBI, welcome to #TeamMaryland! pic.twitter.com/8fJ4wk1mbq
— Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) November 9, 2023
“This is the right decision — it’s a win for the FBI’s mission, for taxpayers, and for our goal of ensuring federal investments advance equity in our communities,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen stated.
U.S. Rep. David Trone called it “incredible news”: “This isn’t about a building; this is about equitable investment in our communities.”
“Team Maryland has worked tirelessly to deliver this result together,” reads a joint statement from Maryland leaders including Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller. “Our close cooperation will continue as we break ground on this new headquarters and tackle other pressing issues facing Marylanders.”
Locations that were under consideration were Greenbelt or Landover in PG County or Springfield, Va in Fairfax County.
According to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), GSA determined Greenbelt as the best site because it “was the lowest cost to taxpayers, provided the greatest transportation access to FBI employees and visitors, and gave the government the most certainty on project delivery schedule. It also provided the highest potential to advance sustainability and equity.”
U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine from Virginia issued a joint statement stating they are “deeply disappointed that despite the clear case that Virginia is the best home for the FBI, the Administration went a different direction.”
“It’s especially disappointing that the FBI’s initial criteria for this decision—developed independently by the GSA and affirmed by Congress just last year—were changed at the 11th hour by the Administration following political pressure. We spent years appropriately criticizing the last Administration for politicizing the new FBI headquarters—only for a new Administration to come in and allow politics to taint the selection process.”
In the Maryland leaders’ joint statement, the leaders said, “Our decades-long, bipartisan effort to bring the Maryland sites’ many merits to the GSA’s attention was never about politics. It was always about making the case for what is best for the FBI, our region, and the country.”
