Jan 11

Jan 11 Maryland Senator Sets Aggressive Tone for 2023 Agenda

Cardin On FBI HQ: “We Should Be Going To The Ribbon Cutting By Now.”

By Raoul Dennis

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) took sharp aim at the issues he seeks to target this year – with particular zeal regarding the construction of the new FBI headquarters in Prince George’s.

“We have enough money to proceed [in building the new headquarters],” Cardin said of the approved funding. “It should have been built. We should be going to the ribbon cutting now, not waiting for an award to be made. But for the actions of the former president in trying to protect his property on Pennsylvania Avenue, we would have had the FBI located in Prince George's County by now. The funds, about 80% of the funds, are already appropriated. Our major challenge is the fact that there is bias within the FBI. We're not going to let that stand. We're going to be fighting for this.”

In June, Maryland Rep. and then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer led a push to secure $500M in funding for the project in the FY2023 budget, according to Bisnow.

The veteran senator made his remarks before members of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable Jan. 9. “Since its inception twenty years ago, the Business Roundtable has been bringing our civic, elected, public safety and military leaders together to serve all Prince George's communities. It is these partnerships that make the Roundtable unique in the county and region,” says Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable founder, President and CEO M.H. Jim Estepp.

Cardin aggressively addressed other issues he plans to prioritize. His agenda includes Joint Base Andrews, protecting the Chesapeake Bay and “preserving our democratic system of government.”

“We have challenges as a nation,” the senator says. “We had the attack on our democracy. Nothing is more precious to us than preserving our democratic system of government.”

Cardin addressed foreign affairs and focused on Russia and China.

“We're going to stand with [the]people of Ukraine as they fight the oppression of Russia. They're the front lines. Make no mistake about it. Mr. Putin's desire is not just to bring down Ukraine. It's to bring down all the democratic states in Europe and then take aim [at] the United States.”

“We're going to stand up against China,” he continued. “Look, I want to have a good relationship with every country in the world, but we're not going to let China dictate the way that we do our business. We're going to take them on. We recognize that they don't have a level playing field. Well, I'll tell you something, America can beat any country in the world on a level playing field, and we're going to make sure that we stand up for American jobs and American security.”

But Cardin maintained a specific focus on the FBI headquarters. The move would bring over 750 jobs to the county. The choice would also prompt small business growth and revenue for the county. County leaders have been fighting for the opportunity since 2012—which would be an overdue economic game changer.

“Though we house 20 percent of the region’s federal workforce, we host less than 5 percent of the region’s federal office space,” wrote Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in a November Washington Post commentary.

Now, federal decision-makers say proximity to Marine Corps Base Quantico is a primary factor in the final decision.

“They think cost should only be a minor factor in the decision. They think equity should be a minor issue, even though President Biden has said he made that one of the major issues in location of federal facilities. Instead, they put into the criteria a location close to Quantico. Now, every one of the [remaining locations in the selection process] is convenient to Quantico. The extra 10 or 15 minutes that you're talking about drive time, the once a month visit, it's not a major issue, but they put 30% [of the final selection decision] on that. They're trying to stack the deck.”

The senator said he believes there may be bias against the county getting the federal installation in spite of having raised the funds, provided two locations that are metro and commuter friendly and that would solve federal equity goals.

“Now, we really do believe there's some bias in the FBI in that regard. I don't say that lightly, but we're not going to put up with that.”

We join with Senator Cardin and the entire Maryland Delegation requesting a fair and expedited process that focuses the decision on economic benefits, accessibility to the location and sense of fairness emphasized by the Administration in their remarks regarding the site selection.