Senate Panel Keeps $1.4 Billion for FBI HQ in Maryland, Snubbing Trump Relocation Plan

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved an amendment by Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen that bars the use of federal funds to relocate the FBI headquarters anywhere other than Greenbelt, Maryland. Republican Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in the 21-6 vote on the underlying Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill, ensuring that $1.4 billion previously earmarked for the Greenbelt project remains intact. The decision represents a direct rebuke of President Donald Trump’s effort to shift the agency to the federally owned Reagan Building in downtown Washington. After the amendment passed, several Republican appropriators briefly switched their positions, forcing the markup into recess, but the panel ultimately left the prohibition in place. The legislation now moves to the full Senate, where supporters say it will protect years of planning and investment in the suburban Maryland site. The House has yet to act on its counterpart measure, leaving the final location of the FBI’s future headquarters to be resolved in upcoming negotiations.