Former President Donald Trump criticized plans to build a new headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Greenbelt, Maryland.
If re-elected, he said, this would be a centerpiece of his plan to “totally renovate and rebuild our capital city.”
“THE FBI MUST BE IN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE DOJ BUILDING IN THAT THE DOJ & FBI HAVE TO WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER,” President Trump said.
“A TWO MINUTE WALK TO A MEETING IS FAR BETTER THAN A TRAFFIC LADEN TWO HOUR DRIVE TO GREENBELT, MARYLAND.”
President Trump added that having the facility in Washington also could help reduce skyrocketing violent crime in the city.
The comments come months after the House in March passed a controversial $1.2 trillion government funding bill.
It slated $200 million toward the headquarters project, an issue that has divided lawmakers for years.
The FBI has said it needs the new facility because it has outgrown its current base, the brutalist J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, which opened in 1975.
During his tenure at the White House, President Trump blocked moves to bring a new facility into the Washington suburbs.
President Joe Biden selected the Greenbelt site for the new facility, which will span 61 acres near a Metro station.
Funding for the project was heavily criticized by many conservatives in Congress amid a series of allegations that the FBI has become politicized by partisan actors in the agency.
In fall 2023, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) sought to block funding for the project, citing the FBI’s alleged abuses of power.
The sentiment was echoed by Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.).
On the other side of the issue, Maryland Democrats have been outspoken in their support for the project.
“The FBI’s new HQ in Greenbelt is a win for its mission & for Maryland. That’s why I fought to secure another $200 million for the new HQ in the government funding package,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Holler (D-Md.) said in a post.
“I’m determined to ensure this project is fully funded so the FBI can have the new home it deserves.”
President Biden’s decision to select the site was also a win for former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who has pushed for over a decade to have the new facility built in his home state.
