The FBI headquarters relocation to Greenbelt faced a new challenge and potential grinding halt on Friday when President Donald Trump announced his intention to keep the Bureau in downtown Washington, D.C. “We’re going to stop it. I’m not going to let that happen,” said Trump about the move to Greenbelt.
Speaking at the Justice Department, Trump dismissed the relocation effort, falsely claiming the Greenbelt site was “three hours away in Maryland.” He also described Maryland as a liberal state before insisting its political leanings had no influence on his decision.
Over $3 billion had already been set aside in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget for acquisition and design of the Greenbelt site under the Biden administration (see the March 20, 2024, issue). For over a year the Maryland State team has been holding monthly coordinating meetings and submeetings have been taking place as necessary – doing, for example, the preparatory work of looking at access roads and consulting with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). However, money for construction has not been set aside and is not part of the continuing resolution passed by Congress last week.
Speaking with the News Review on Monday, City Manager Josué Salmerón said the city will continue its work on the project until the General Services Administration (GSA) tells them otherwise. Stephen Ehikian, a technology, artificial intelligence and software entrepreneur, was appointed as acting administrator and deputy administrator of the GSA by Trump in January. He’s unlikely to dispute Trump’s decision.
Governor’s Outcry
The State of Maryland, whose leaders worked for over a decade to secure the winning bid for the site, seems poised to fight Trump’s decision. Over the weekend, Governor Wes Moore said he found out about Trump’s statement from the news rather than the White House, demonstrating the lack of partnership, and called it a “direct attack on law enforcement” and on the FBI. In a social media post on Sunday, Moore wrote: “This is a direct assault on the brave men and women of the FBI, full stop. They deserve a modern, consolidated HQ that meets their public safety and national security mission. It’s why Greenbelt was chosen – and that’s not a political position, it’s a fact.”
Impact
The overruling of that decision would come at a particularly bad time for the region as Maryland faces an over $3 billion deficit and is in need of economic development. Moore has estimated the new headquarters would bring some 7,500 jobs to the region and generate revenue of over $4 billion. Prince George’s County is facing a projected deficit of more than $170 million and the City of Greenbelt has been making difficult decisions about cuts in efforts to balance its own budget. Greenbelt, the county and the state have also been significantly impacted by federal job losses in recent weeks. According to U.S. Census Bureau data 17.3 percent of Prince George’s County residents and more than 14 percent of Greenbelt’s residents are federal workers; still more are federal contractors.
A History of Opposition
On Friday, Trump said a “big” new FBI headquarters will be built in Washington, D.C., and should be located close to the Department of Justice. Most will not be surprised by Trump’s promise to “not … let that (move to Maryland) happen,” and many foresaw his election as the death knell for the FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, given his history of opposing its relocation from Washington, D.C. In 2017 Trump similarly announced the headquarters would stay in Washington, D.C., and be rebuilt downtown.
Following the announcement in 2023 that the headquarters would come to Greenbelt, the selection process was met with pushback from then-FBI Director Christopher Wray and Virginia leaders. They claimed the GSA’s selection process was “fouled by political considerations and alleged impropriety,” and requested an immediate investigation (see the December 6, 2023, issue of the News Review). After nearly a year of silence, GSA’s report, released last month, found the selection process, though flawed, was not marred by a conflict of interest. Former GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan stated none of the issues raised “undermine the overall integrity of the process.” The report dismissed allegations that former GSA official Nina Albert had improperly influenced the decision.
GSA Report on Site
After more than a decade of deliberation, the GSA announced in November 2023 that Greenbelt would be the new home of the FBI headquarters, selecting the site over Springfield, Va., and Landover, Md. (see the November 16, 2023 issue.) The decision followed years of advocacy from Maryland officials, who argued that Greenbelt’s proximity to public transit, cost-effectiveness and equity considerations made it the best choice.
On Tuesday Greenbelt City Council and the City Manager issued the following statement: “The City of Greenbelt fully supports the decision to relocate the FBI headquarters to our community. As emphasized by Governor Moore, Senator Van Hollen and the entire Congressional delegation, Greenbelt offers the most secure, build-ready and cost-effective site to meet the FBI’s mission and operational needs. Changing the GSA’s thoroughly vetted decision again will further compromise national security and delay vital progress. We are committed to keeping Greenbelt and Prince George’s County as the site for this essential facility and will continue working with our Team Maryland colleagues to ensure the FBI has the best location and the best use of taxpayer resources.”
Diya Shah is a student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism interning with the News Review.
