By Steve Neavling
A fight over the future home of the FBI’s headquarters derailed progress on a key Senate spending bill Thursday, adding uncertainty to lawmakers’ efforts to avoid a government shutdown before the Sept. 30 deadline.
The Senate Appropriations Committee was set to advance one of its 12 annual funding bills but abruptly recessed after a surprise amendment passed that would block the Trump administration from relocating the FBI to downtown Washington, NBC News reports.
The amendment, introduced by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., prohibits federal money from being used to move the headquarters anywhere but Greenbelt, Md., a site chosen last year after a lengthy selection process.
“This is good news for the men and women in the FBI because the Greenbelt site was selected after years of competition to pick the site that best met the security and mission requirements of the FBI,” Van Hollen told NBC News. He called the vote “an important step” and a “very important signal.”
The measure passed 15-14, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska as the only Republican to join Democrats in support. That triggered a backlash from GOP members, who began withdrawing support for the overall bill. Rather than let it fail, Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, recessed the session.
“We got two of our bills approved today, one unanimously and one with only one dissenting vote. Had the issue of the FBI building not come up, we would have had a third bill with strong bipartisan support,” Collins said.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said the amendment upends the president’s plan.
“It’s a lot of taxpayer money, and I think that just blew up the process,” he said. “I think the president is going to be furious.”
The Trump administration recently reversed the Biden-era decision to build the new campus in Maryland, opting instead for the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown D.C. FBI Director Kash Patel called it a cost-effective alternative.
Murkowski said she supports pausing the bill to gather more information.
“It seems to me that’s kind of the blank spot right now,” she said. “So, I think we’re going to have that chance.”
It’s unclear when the committee will resume consideration of the bill.
