The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is moving its longtime Washington, D.C., headquarters to Alexandria, Virginia, announced secretary Scott Turner.
He cited poor building conditions and health and safety issues at the Robert C. Weaver Building for the relocation. Trump administration leaders also say the move will save taxpayers more than $22 million in yearly operations.
The agency, which has about 2,700 headquartered-based employees, plans to implement a staggered relocation plan in coordination with the General Services Administration (GSA), but questions remain.
The new location, 2415 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria, houses the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF staff members were reportedly blindsided by the HUD announcement, and it’s not clear what the move means for them.
The plan is for the offices to be HUD’s home, emphasized Turner and Michael Peters, commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service, during a June 25 press conference with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“It’s not every day, I don’t think it’s been ever, that a federal cabinet-level agency has moved its headquarters to Virginia,” Youngkin said.
The American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 said more than 1,800 NSF employees work in the Alexandria building. The union said it has been told that the new plans include an executive suite for Turner on the 19th floor, the construction of an executive dining room, reserved parking for the secretary’s cars, and an exclusive use of an elevator for Turner.
“While secretary Turner and his staff are busy enjoying private dining and a custom gym, NSF employees are being displaced with no plan, no communication, and no respect,” said the union in a statement. “This callous disregard for taxpayer dollars and NSF employees comes after the administration already cut NSF’s budget, staff, and science grants, and forced NSF employees back into the office.”
During the press conference, Turner stressed that the relocation was not about him. “This is not about the secretary,” he said. “This is about the posterity and the future of HUD, not just for now but for those coming behind me.”
