By now most of us have committed to memory President Elect Donald Trump’s campaign pledges to help rebuild inner cities, to drain the swamp and restore confidence in our government as part of effort to make American great again. You may not have heard, however, that an idea has surfaced to help him achieve all three of those pledges.
Why not move federal government agencies out of the nation’s capital to cities like Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee – the heartland? The idea came to light in an op-ed by Paul Kupiec of the American Enterprise Institute.
(Photo, NYTimes.com)
The FBI has apparently outgrown its current Washington headquarters (left) built in 1975. The construction budget alone for a new 2.1 million square foot facility is said to be $2.5 billion.
The Labor Department is also looking for a new location for a 1.1 million square foot facility to replace its 40-year-old facility in Washington.
As expected, sites in nearby Maryland and Virginia are being considered. Eleven of the 20th richest U.S. counties are in the Washington DC area. In an effort to attract the FBI to his state, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has committed to spend $120 million on public works projects in Springfield. Maryland’s governor has made similar pledges should the FBI select Greenbelt or Landover.
Moving 11,000 FBI employees would hardly make a dent in the D.C. economy, according to Kupiec. Imagine the boost it would give Detroit – 11,000 well-paid jobs and $2.5 billion in construction spending.
With today’s modern communications technology there’s no reason for the headquarters to remain in Washington. The FBI and Labor would still require small office space in Washington to facilitate relationships with the various cabinet and agency heads.
While the FBI plans to announce its new location this month after extensive research, its probably too late to consider a move to the Midwest, but the idea has merit for future moves.
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