[SPEAKER_01]: This is a news.com newsflash. [SPEAKER_00]: FBI Director Cash Patel has announced plans to relocate approximately one thousand five hundred employees from the agency's current headquarters in Washington DC the decision driven by safety and operational concerns will move personnel to the Ronald Reagan building complex in downtown DC a shift back while still within the city proves to be cost effective.
[SPEAKER_00]: Prior to the latest announcement, Maryland lawmakers advocated for moving the FBI to Greenbelt, Maryland. [SPEAKER_00]: Their arguments centered on bringing agents closer to areas with elevated crime rates, improving law enforcement response capabilities. [SPEAKER_00]: The city was initially approved as the new site, but the decision changed over time. [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if they're going to make the headquarters there or not.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were going to make it in Virginia, but I think they're going to disperse FBI agents to work crimes are committed. [SPEAKER_00]: Hoover institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson said. [SPEAKER_00]: I know that Washington is a dangerous city, but you don't need fifteen thousand or twelve thousand FBI agents in Washington. [SPEAKER_00]: Representative Len Ivy expressed confidence in Green Belt's readiness to host the new headquarters.
[SPEAKER_00]: They need a new headquarters. [SPEAKER_00]: Green Belt has already been selected, where the fastest is to get something done. [SPEAKER_00]: Despite regional lobbyists, the FBI, along with the U.S. [SPEAKER_00]: General Services Administration, ultimately selected the Ronald Reagan Building Complex in Washington, D.C. [SPEAKER_00]: as the location fought its new headquarters.
[SPEAKER_00]: This marks the culmination of nearly two decades of deliberation on how best to address the agency's space and security needs. [SPEAKER_00]: Initial plans focused on building a new suburban campus, which would have cost taxpayers millions and taken years to complete. [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, the new site offers a cost effective, readily available federal facility that meets the agency's operational requirements.
[SPEAKER_00]: Following the announcement, FBI Director Patel shared his excitement for the relocation. [SPEAKER_00]: This is a historic moment for the FBI. [SPEAKER_00]: Through our strong partnerships with members of Congress and GSA, we are ushering FBI headquarters into a new era and providing our agents of justice a safer place to work.
[SPEAKER_00]: Moving to the Ronald Reagan Building is the most cost effective and resource efficient way to carry out our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. [SPEAKER_00]: One of the reasons for keeping the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. [SPEAKER_00]: was cost effectiveness. [SPEAKER_00]: GSA Public Building Service Commissioner Michael Peters highlighted the significant savings the move would generate.
[SPEAKER_00]: This move not only provides a world-class location to the FBI's public service, but it also saves Americans billions of dollars on new construction and avoids more than three hundred million dollars in deferred maintenance costs at the J Edgar Hoover facility. [SPEAKER_00]: He recently revealed. [SPEAKER_00]: We are proud to partner with Director Patel to drive efficiency and improve the quality of space for a productive workforce in service to national security and taxpayers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Knowledge. [SPEAKER_01]: Unfilter. [SPEAKER_01]: Unfilter.