Press Release

January 22, 2016
Cardin, Mikulski, Hoyer, Edwards, Baker Applaud Administration Plan To Fully Fund Construction Of New Consolidated FBI Headquarters In President’s Fy17 Budget Request

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, Representatives Steny H. Hoyer and Donna F. Edwards together with Prince George’s County Executive Rusher L. Baker, III (all D-Md.) today applauded the Administration’s next steps for a new, fully consolidated headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

 

“This newly proposed appropriation toward a new, fully consolidated FBI headquarters is a significant development that underscores the administration’s commitment to giving the agency what it needs to accomplish its essential mission,” said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. “Team Maryland continues to be equally committed to these goals and firmly believes that the agency’s new home belongs here.  The needs of the FBI are clear – consolidation, security, functionality, convenience – and Prince George’s County is absolutely positioned best to meet all of them.”

 

 

“This is great news for both the new FBI headquarters and the security of our nation. I’ve fought tooth and nail for the men and women of the FBI, working to secure a $390 million significant down-payment in the FY16 funding bill,” said Senator Mikulski, Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee. “And now that the President has requested full funding for the new headquarters in his FY17 budget request, as Vice Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations subcommittee, I’ll work my earrings off to put the funds in the federal checkbook.”

 

“Today’s release of the phase two RFP’s for the new consolidated FBI headquarters and announcement that funding will be included in the President’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget are important milestones that move forward the entire process,” said Congressman Steny H. Hoyer. “I am pleased to see this progress being made. The FBI is critically important to protecting the security and safety of our country and I applaud the President for including federal funding that will help the FBI continue to carry out its mission. I will work hand-in-hand over the coming months with our delegation, as well as with state and local leaders, to bring the FBI’s new home to Prince George’s County.”

 

“Today’s announcement by OMB, GSA, and the FBI officially opening Phase II Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FBI Headquarters project is another important step forward,” said Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards. “In particular, announcing that there will be $1.4 billion in the President’s FY17 budget request dedicated to this project will help alleviate some uncertainty regarding the full scope of available funding.  Without question, Maryland remains the best location for a fully-consolidated facility that provides the most modern and best environment for the FBI to achieve their security mission in the 21st Century and makes the smartest use of taxpayer dollars.”

 

“Following over four years of work by Prince George’s County to support the two most competitive sites available to host the consolidated FBI headquarters, today’s announcement is a welcome and critical step toward a final decision,” said Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III. “I want to thank our incredible Congressional delegation along with our partners at the State, local government, and the private sector who have supported our efforts to put Prince George’s County in a favorable position to be selected for the new consolidated FBI headquarters. We look forward to a historic announcement that the FBI is coming to Prince George’s County, forever reinventing our County’s economy.”

 

Today the General Services Administration (GSA) announced that the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget proposal will include $1.4 billion in federal funds for the construction of the FBI’s new, fully consolidated headquarters. GSA also announced today that it has issued phase two Request for Proposals (RFP) that outline what GSA and FBI are looking for as well as how they will evaluate the bids, along with the FBI’s requirements for the project.

 

The funding proposal announced today builds on $390 million in federal funding Senator Mikulski and members of the Maryland delegation announced in December that was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 as a down-payment to begin the initial design, engineering and construction of a new fully consolidated headquarters for the FBI. That funding includes $180 million in the FBI construction budget. The bill also allows the FBI to use up to $135 million in prior year balances for initial design and preconstruction activities including land acquisition and site preparation for a new FBI headquarters. In addition, the bill includes $75 million for construction management and oversight activities as well as other project support costs in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) budget.

 

Construction for the project would be fully funded through the $1.4 billion included in the President’s FY17 budget request, together with the $390 million secured in FY16 appropriations and proceeds from the sale of the FBI’s current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building. Constructing a fully consolidated FBI headquarters will ensure that the men and women of the FBI will have the law enforcement, intelligence, and counter-terrorism assets they need to secure the homeland‎.

 

On November 6, 2015, the GSA released the draft environmental impact statement for the project. Presently, two proposed sites in Prince George’s County, Maryland – Greenbelt and Landover – are on the OMB/GSA short-list of eligible sites to serve as the future home of the FBI.

 

The new FBI headquarters will be home to 11,000 jobs. According to a Maryland state report, approximately 40 percent of the FBI’s employees at the current headquarters already live in Maryland.

 

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