Governor Pushes to Relocate FBI Headquarters to Maryland

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is pushing to move the FBI’s headquarters from Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. to Maryland.

Hogan sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray saying Maryland remains the “ideal location” for the FBI headquarters and is urging the Biden administration to restart this project.

“Maryland is already home to a significant number of FBI employees and is committed to creating the infrastructure necessary to accommodate an influx of federal workers. We are also home to dozens of federal agencies to ensure close collaboration,” Hogan said in a statement.

In 2017, two Prince George’s County sites were in the running with a Northern Virginia location for a new headquarters. Maryland and the county invested millions and had two strong contenders: the Landover Mall site and a site near the Greenbelt Metro. 

But the push was called off with House Democrats alleging it was to keep potential competition from building near the Trump Hotel.

Sen. Ben Cardin was a among the major supporters of this project and he said the headquarters need a more secure facility.

“They’re operating in 20-plus locations today In a terribly inefficient manner. They need a modern, secure facility … Quite frankly, the only location that supplies what the FBI needs is located in Prince George’s County, Maryland,” Cardin said. 

With new White House leadership, Hogan is trying again to reignite this project.

Hogan’s office noted that the recent federal omnibus spending bill requires the General Services Administration to send Congress a plan within three months for a new headquarters in the National Capital Region. 

“A new modern headquarters with enhanced security standards, which we can offer in Maryland will allow the FBI to best meet its law enforcement mission today and decades into the future,” Hogan said.