The bill includes $ 1.75 billion “for the design and construction of a Washington DC headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” according to the text of the bill.
The disposition comes after the administration’s successful push for funds caused significant problems during intraparty negotiations. But funding could still face an uncertain future, with at least two key Republicans who retain full support.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell initially indicated at a press conference Monday that he did not know the FBI provision was in the bill, but moments later he said the White House “insisted that it be included.” .
“I’m not sure it is,” McConnell replied to a journalist when asked for the first time why the money was in the Senate GOP proposal.
Then an assignment assistant for McConnell stepped in and explained off-camera to everyone in the room, “There is a limitation to specifically refining Covid-related issues, so we’ll get more information for you.”
McConnell was then asked if it was possible that nearly $ 2 billion could be in the measure without his knowledge, and seemed to suggest he was aware.
“Well, regarding that proposal, obviously we had to come to an agreement with the administration to get started. And they will have to answer the question of why they insisted on that.”
When asked if he supported her being there, he said, “You’ll have to ask them why they insisted that he be included.”
Senate Judiciary President Lindsey Graham also said he “is not a particularly” supporter of the funds being included in the bill.
When asked why it had been included in the proposal, the South Carolina Republican said Monday: “I think a building needs to be built.”
“This is the last thing coming out of the station, but I’m not so sure it’s related to Covid,” he said, referring to the bill. “Technically it doesn’t have to be related to Covid, I just don’t know why we’re doing that.”
Another high-ranking Republican close to the talks regretted the decision to include him: “I can’t imagine how useful having it there is.”
The Trump administration and specifically President Donald Trump have long been involved in the plans surrounding the FBI headquarters.
Plans to relocate the FBI to the former Hoover Building, which had been under construction since at least 2012, could have resulted in the construction of a hotel to compete with the Trump hotel one block away.
The decision eventually went to the White House, and was discussed at a meeting of the Oval Office with the President.
The White House backed down, and then-press secretary Sarah Sanders said at the time that “the president wanted to save the government money and that the FBI leaders did not want to move their headquarters.”
However, a financial analysis by the GSA inspector general concluded that constructing a new FBI building in central Washington “would actually be more costly” than relocating the office.
Funding in Monday’s stimulus plan is also not the administration’s first effort to fund a new FBI headquarters.
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