The FBI Needs to Be Relocated. But Where?

Senate Committee Rejects Trump’s Plan to Move Bureau Headquarters Within Washington.

The issue of moving the FBI’s headquarters has been around for a long time. The Hoover Building, designed under Kennedy, laid out under Nixon and opened in 1975, has long been criticized by architects and urban planners, as well as the agents themselves: it was built very poorly, and its maintainability turned out to be close to zero. The elevators, wiring and even the walls themselves have long been in disrepair. Already in 2001, it became clear that something had to be done, the best thing would be to move the Bureau’s headquarters to another location and simply demolish the building.

In 2013, the US General Administration and Facilities Administration began the official process of choosing a site for the new FBI headquarters. Ten years later, it was decided that the new headquarters would be located in the neighboring state of Maryland, in the town of Greenbelt.

The current FBI Director, Cash Patel, when he was still a contender for the post, threatened to disband the central office of the Bureau, sending the employees of the Hoover Building across the country for field work, and to open a “museum of the deep state” in the building itself. But the enthusiasm had long since worn off. Which, however, does not cancel the need to relocate the special service somewhere.

Trump decided that since the disbandment of the central office of the Bureau was canceled, there was no point in sending it out of the capital. Moreover, Trump is vindictive and has a peculiar sense of humor. He proposed to relocate the FBI leadership to the Ronald Reagan building.

This building has a remarkable history. In the 19th century, this area was mainly saloons and brothels. In 1920, the federal government bought the land and began, as we would say now, renovation. On the corner, which is often called “the triangle” (the Federal Triangle station is located nearby), they wanted to build something monumental for a long time. One project followed another, until finally in 1987 the final architectural decision was made and money was allocated. The building was opened in 1993 under Clinton.

The Reagan Building, in addition to the Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Wilson Center, houses the offices of the Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Administration of Finance. Now that USAID has been disbanded, Trump has proposed moving FBI functionaries to these vacant premises.

But the Senate Appropriations Committee, having begun work on the future budget, rejected the plan to move the FBI to the Reagan Building. It was planned for Maryland — so to Maryland. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen led the opposition to Trump’s plans, and many Republicans agreed with him.

In a comment to The Hill, Van Hollen said, “This isn’t just about this building. This is about precedent. This is about the larger question of whether the executive branch can unilaterally undo something that Congress has worked on for years, with bipartisan support.”