July 12, 2017 | by Staff Writer

UPDATED: Maryland Leaders Release Statements About Decision to Halt FBI Project

U.S. Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat, released a statement Wednesday about the Trump administration’s decision to cancel the procurement for the FBI headquarters project:

“America needs a FBI that can operate efficiently and effectively and it is in the national interest that the FBI has a new consolidated headquarters. This is a rash, rushed and wrong decision that’s bad for the country. Yes, this is terrible news for Maryland and the region, but the American people should know how illogical and self-defeating this is. National security, law enforcement and crime prevention are core functions of government and this move makes no sense in that context. The problems at the Hoover Building are well-documented and they are hindering the Bureau’s ability to function. I don’t understand how the Trump Administration can cite budget issues with a straight face, when they haven’t supported a new headquarters and Congress is working through the appropriations process as we speak. Moreover, this decision means that significant time and money at the federal, state and local level will have been wasted, this is another example of the Trump Administration hypocritically taking very fiscally-irresponsible actions while spouting rhetoric about belt-tightening.”

ORIGINAL POST The decision to halt the current request for proposals to construct a new consolidated FBI headquarters is not going over well with many of Maryland’s elected leaders. U.S. senators Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen and U.S. representatives Anthony Brown and Steny Hoyer, who are Democrats, released the following joint statement in response to the announcement Tuesday:

“Canceling the current request for proposals for a fully consolidated FBI headquarters puts America’s national security at risk. The Hoover Building is crumbling around the FBI. It is unfathomable that the Trump Administration would fail to move forward on a secure headquarters for the FBI workforce that serves on the front lines of our nation’s law enforcement and counter terrorism efforts.

“Congress has spoken very clearly on multiple occasions that it intends to fully fund the consolidated FBI project. The State of Maryland and Prince George’s County have invested immense resources and time into this project. But for the Administration, after failing to include any funding in the President’s FY18 budget request, to pull the plug on this procurement precipitously before the FY18 Appropriations process is even halfway complete, is a waste of hundreds of millions of federal, state and local taxpayer dollars.

“Our national security mandates that we move forward with building a secure, fully consolidated FBI headquarters. We strongly disagree with this decision. If the Trump Administration is unwilling to reconsider its position, then we urge GSA to move forward as quickly as possible by selecting one of the other various financing mechanisms identified and thoroughly examined by GSA. Team Maryland, including our federal delegation, state and local officials, will continue to work together to ensure the fully consolidated FBI headquarters project comes to fruition.”

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