On Wednesday, Virginia leaders from both sides of the aisle came together with one common goal – convincing the FBI to build its new headquarters in the Commonwealth.
Springfield in Fairfax County should be the location for the project.
In a rare showing of bipartisanship, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin – flanked by Virginia’s Democrat Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and other members of the state’s Congressional delegation – made that plea.
He said the northern Virginia site just makes sense for a number of reasons – including its proximity to Quantico and the region’s transportation hub.
“Springfield offers superior flexibility and costs less because the U.S. government already owns the site," he exclaimed. "We can get shovels in the ground faster and save taxpayers money.”
Congressman Don Beyer – who represents the district where the potential site is located – said Virginia has other benefits.
“There’s a reason Amazon came here. We produce more math, computer science young people than any other comparable region in the country" Beyer explained. "And if you look at the challenges for the FBI in the years to come – cybersecurity, artificial intelligence – all of that is incredibly relevant.”
Congress passed a federal funding bill late last year that included language giving Virginia and Maryland 90 days to make their final pitches to the Bureau and the General Services Administration.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.