ICYMI: Hoyer Leads Bipartisan Coalition in Defeating Right-Wing Effort to Rescind Funds for New, Consolidated FBI Headquarters

WASHINGTON, DC –  Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee, led a bipartisan coalition last week in defeating a Republican attempt to rescind funds that were previously appropriated for the new FBI headquarters. During last Thursday's full committee markup, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) offered an amendment to claw back funding for the already appropriated new, consolidated FBI headquarters. With the support of FSGG Chairman Steve Womack and a bipartisan group of appropriators, the amendment failed 16-43. Below are excerpts from Ranking Member Hoyer and Chairman Steve Womack's (AR-03) remarks and a link to the video: 

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Click here to watch full remarks

RANKING MEMBER STENY H. HOYER (MD-05) 

“It is in such bad shape that there is a net around the entire building so that concrete will not fall on people walking around the FBI building." 

“Whatever you think of Wray, whatever you think of the present FBI, there's going to have to be a new building, and the more we delay, the more expense there will be – it costs about [$268 billion] a year to maintain the present building because it requires 14 other leased space to be expended, and maintenance on the building is in the hundreds of millions, over $100 million. So from a deficit standpoint, this would be a bad judgment." 

“My view is, wherever it goes, it ought to start going now." 

“...this is a bad budget decision to delay this building, which obviously rescinding existing funds would do.” 

See here for Congressman Hoyer's FSGG full committee markup opening remarks.

CHAIRMAN STEVE WOMACK (AR-03) 

“But what I'm appealing to my fellow appropriators is...we've got an important job. We have to fund this government in such a way that we don't waste resources, and I'm afraid clawing back what's already been appropriated, even going to reduce the national debt, could be a very expensive decision. Because at some point in time, the FBI will have to go somewhere. We're either going to have to make some substantial changes to the Hoover building, or they will go somewhere else." 

“... if it goes somewhere other than the Hoover, and even if it's at the Hoover, it's going to require funds to do that. And clawing back this money today without a hearing, without a justification…And let's just be frank; it's because there are a lot of people really torqued at the present FBI. That's okay. And if they've earned it, so be it."

“But the decision to rescind funds that have been going on for years, and by the way - many of the people sitting in this room have voted to provide funds for a relocation of the FBI, some of that money, but to make a decision to rescind without having the leadership of GSA, the leadership of the FBI, and all of the stakeholders at the table to help us understand what the true needs of the FBI actually are, I think would be a flawed and potentially expensive decision. So for that reason, my vote will be against my friend's amendment to claw back the already appropriated money.”