Hoyer Statement on the General Services Administration's Inspector General Report on the FBI Headquarters Project
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement after the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of the Inspector General released a new report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters relocation project. Last July, the Trump Administration canceled the previous procurement process for the new, consolidated FBI headquarters. In February of this year, GSA and FBI released a report recommending that the FBI headquarters remain at the current site on Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Washington, DC:
"The report released today by the GSA Inspector General is extremely alarming. Not only does the report find that GSA inaccurately accounted for the costs associated with keeping the FBI headquarters at the Pennsylvania Avenue site, but it states that GSA Administrator Murphy misled Congress on the White House's involvement in the project. These findings, along with previous reports of President Trump's personal involvement in the construction of a new FBI headquarters, raise serious concerns.
"The Trump Administration must fully answer all questions related to the decision to cancel the previous procurement process, including to what extent President Trump has been involved in the project and the decision to keep the headquarters at Pennsylvania Avenue. Until they do so, Congress ought to refrain from providing new money or proceeding forward with the project.
"This project is a matter of national security. The current site of the FBI headquarters does not meet the FBI's extensive security needs, and the dedicated men and women at the FBI need a new fully consolidated headquarters to perform the critical missions that keep our nation safe. I join in thanking my colleague Ranking Member Gerry Connolly for requesting this important report. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to hold the Trump Administration accountable for the future of this project."