Virginia leaders make final pitch to bring FBI headquarters to Fairfax County
Virginia leaders push to bring FBI Headquarters to Fairfax County
Virginia leaders met with federal officials on Thursday to make their final pitch to bring the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters from downtown Washington, D.C. to Fairfax County. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald explains what officials revealed after the meeting, and how it is sparking a war of words between Virginia and Maryland leaders.
WASHINGTON - Virginia leaders met with federal officials on Thursday to make their final pitch to bring the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters from downtown Washington, D.C. to Fairfax County.
A team led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine met with officials the General Services Administration (GSA) and FBI to present why Springfield, Virgina site would be the best location to house the new FBI headquarters.
According to Virginia officials the Springfield site offers infrastructure, Metro and railway access that other options do not.
The other two sites being considered, both in Prince George's County, Marlyand, are in Landover or Greenbelt. Maryland officials presented their case for those two sites on Wednesday.
The GSA says it will select the new FBI headquarters location using five criteria: weighted most at 35% is serving the FBI mission, including proximity to the FBI Academy in Quantico and the Justice Department. Transportation access is weighted as 25%. Development flexibility is weighted as 15%. Promoting racial equity and sustainable siting is weighted as 15%, and cost to acquire and prepare the site is weighted as 10%.
In recent weeks and months, Maryland officials have argued that equity concerns should push the General Services Administration to pick one of the two sites in Prince George’s County, which has a majority Black population.
In February, Viriginia leaders pushed back on that assertion, noting that the Springfield region of Fairfax County, Virginia, also has a majority-minority population and that the region as a whole has a large international community. Officials have also touted the state's momentum in getting corporations such as Amazon, Boeing and Raytheon to locate headquarters in Virginia in recent years.
A timeline for the decision has not been announced, but at a press conference Wednesday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said an answer is expected soon.
The current FBI headquarters in Washington has long concerned Congress, as the building has deteriorated. A survey recently named the building one of the ugliest in the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.