Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, has expressed her support for temporarily halting the consideration of the bill in order to receive input from the FBI on their preference to remain in Washington, D.C. A disagreement regarding the relocation of the FBI’s headquarters has caused a delay in the Senate appropriations process, which poses a challenge for lawmakers aiming to prevent a government shutdown by the September 30 deadline.
The Senate Appropriations Committee had planned to advance one of its 12 appropriations bills for full Senate review, but Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, was compelled to adjourn the committee meeting after a Democratic amendment preventing the Trump administration from relocating the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington unexpectedly passed. This amendment, proposed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, prohibits the use of federal funds to move the FBI headquarters from downtown Washington to a location outside D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The amendment was approved during the markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriation bill with a 15-14 vote, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski being the sole Republican to vote in favor alongside all Democrats. Van Hollen emphasized the significance of this decision, stating that it safeguards the FBI’s security and operational requirements by keeping the headquarters in Greenbelt.
In response to concerns raised by Republicans about the FBI relocation issue and potential reactions from President Trump, some senators began changing their votes on the full bill from affirmative to negative. To avoid a failure of the bill in committee, Collins recessed the meeting to allow time for deliberation on the next steps. Senators concluded the week on Thursday and plan to revisit the matter when they reconvene next week.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, an appropriator, highlighted the impact of the amendment on the president’s decision regarding the FBI headquarters’ location, emphasizing the financial implications and the disruption caused by the amendment.
In 2023, the General Services Administration, during the Biden administration, selected Greenbelt as the new FBI headquarters location after a competitive selection process involving Virginia and Maryland. However, the Trump administration recently reversed this decision, opting for the Ronald Reagan complex in downtown Washington as the new site. FBI officials cited cost-effectiveness and suitability for the agency’s needs as reasons for this change.
With the current FBI headquarters in deteriorating condition, necessitating extensive renovations or a new campus, Sen. Murkowski emphasized the importance of pausing bill consideration to gather insights from the FBI on their preference to remain in Washington, D.C.
Let’s hold off for a moment and gather additional details on the administration’s plans for the Ronald Reagan Building, as that appears to be a key area of uncertainty at the moment,” said Murkowski to reporters. “Therefore, I believe we will have an opportunity to address this.” The timing for the Appropriations Committee to reconvene and resume discussions on the bill remains unclear. The Senate panel’s initial review of the bill is only the beginning of a lengthy procedure to allocate funding for federal agencies before the fiscal year concludes on September 30th.
