The decision to have the FBI headquarters remain in Washington, D.C.’s J. Edgar Hoover building has been described as many things, from “illogical” to “embarrassing.” Below, take a look at some of the many opinions expressed in response to the General Services Administration (GSA) canceling the search for a new headquarters location.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen described the decision as “reckless,” while Maryland Senator Ben Cardin has described it as “an abuse of power.” According to a Washington Post article, Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer further stated, “The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are putting the safety and security of our country at risk.”
In response to the news, Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “The FBI needs to move. We see what the federal constraints are with funding, so I think that everybody should put their thinking caps on and see where we go from here.”
Meanwhile, former Administrator of the GSA Dan Tangherlini said, “What we are doing is hamstringing the country’s single most important law enforcement agency, the FBI.”
The Washington Post’s editorial board wrote an opinion piece in response to the news, saying, “What an inexplicable, illogical, and irresponsible decision. And what a colossal embarrassment for the United States to waste so much time, effort, and money.”
WAMU further reported that officials in Prince George’s County estimated that if the FBI headquarters had moved to the county, an additional 2,000 to 3,000 jobs would have been added along with new development around it.
In an interview with WAMU, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, III said, “We’re not going to give up. We’re going to fight very hard.”
There were some political officials who weren’t so against the decision, though. D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans said that he would prefer the FBI headquarters remain in D.C. proper, preferably at Poplar Point or at the site of St. Elizabeth’s.
Below, see more of the reactions received from the latest news on the FBI headquarters search getting canceled:
Statement on cancellation of the FBI headquarters relocation: pic.twitter.com/BE0rKhqagY
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) July 11, 2017
"This is outrageous. It's a broken promise," says @AnthonyBrownMD4 on Trump's decision to stop FBI relocation plans.
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) July 11, 2017
"We're going to get to the bottom of this decision," says Sen. Van Hollen. Will be asking for documents from GSA on justification.
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) July 11, 2017
Have your own response to the news? Let Curbed know in the comments.
• Federal government cancels costly, decade-long search for a new FBI headquarters [The Washington Post]
• Now What? Local Officials Try To Regroup After Trump Nixes FBI Move [WAMU]
• ‘We’re Not Going To Give Up:’ Prince George’s County Executive Vows To Fight For FBI HQ [WAMU]
• The cancellation of a new FBI headquarters is illogical and embarrassing [The Washington Post]