WASHINGTON — (This story has been updated. An earlier version mistakenly attributed a quote to Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-MD)
Maryland leaders didn't get exactly the language they wanted, but they are happy they got something.
Up until recently, a decade-long tug-of-war between Maryland and Virginia leaders trying to land the coveted location of a future FBI headquarters had been a friendly yet spirited contest with the winner sure to enjoy a local economic boon.
The past six months have seen that dynamic change.
From the perspective of Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, Maryland got railroaded by a General Services Agency (GSA) decision in August that "unfairly" gave the Springfield, Virginia site a leg up due to its proximity to the FBI's training academy in Quantico, Virginia.
The GSA has identified three finalist sites for consideration: Greenbelt and Landover in Maryland and Springfield, Virginia.
Without the two paragraphs, Maryland congressional leaders were able to insert into the 4,155-page 'Omnibus' government spending bill, it seemed like a foregone conclusion a new FBI headquarters would be destined to land in Virginia.
Now, it might be a toss-up?
The legislative language included in the federal spending bill gives the Maryland and Virginia delegations one final opportunity to try and sway the GSA Administrator, who will ultimately approve one of the three sites -- and with it $375 million in funds to develop and begin construction.
"It's been a very hectic period," said Sen. Van Hollen.
"It's not everything the Maryland delegation wanted to begin with but we are happy that this language has been inserted into the bill to really require the GSA to listen to all sides and to look at the earlier congressional intent because we believe the current criteria are not consistent with that original congressional intent," he said.
Multiple sources told WUSA9 that Virginia's two senators were pushing back hard against the proposed language by Maryland leaders and it was Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who helped to broker the compromise.
"We are relieved that it seems a government shutdown will be averted and we look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to bring an FBI headquarters that best supports the mission of the FBI, to Northern Virginia,” said Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine in a joint statement.
Sen. Van Hollen and other Maryland leaders including Sen. Ben Cardin and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, felt the GSA criteria of weighing proximity to Quantico more heavily than equity or cost was an unfair advantage to the Virginia site.
"All three sites are within relatively easy drive time of Quantico," said Van Hollen.
"We want to make sure that all the factors are given equal weighting, including the cost to the taxpayer," he said. "We also believe the Biden Administration's policy of making sure investment in federal dollars also addresses longstanding equity issues is an important factor and was downplayed considerably by the GSA."
Despite the frenetic negotiations that have played out this week, Van Hollen downplayed any appearance of a growing rift between the normally in-sync Virginia and Maryland congressional delegations.
"We collaborate on many things but we clearly have a difference of opinion on this issue -- an issue that's been percolating for 10 years," he said.
The FBI Headquarters is just a fraction of the massive spending proposal Congressional leaders unveiled early Tuesday; a $1.7 trillion spending package that includes another large round of aid to Ukraine, a nearly 10% boost in defense spending and roughly $40 billion to assist communities across the country recovering from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The bill includes about $772.5 billion for non-defense discretionary programs and $858 billion in defense funding.
Lawmakers are working to stuff in as many priorities as they can into what is likely to be the last major bill of the current Congress. They are racing to complete passage of the bill before a midnight Friday deadline or face the prospect of a partial government shutdown going into the Christmas holiday. Lawmakers leading the negotiations released the details of the bill shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
The U.S. has provided about $68 billion in previous rounds of military, economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. President Joe Biden has requested more than $37 billion more. Congress is going further with Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, saying the spending package includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine.
“Finalizing the omnibus is critical, absolutely critical for supporting our friends in Ukraine,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Republican leader Mitch McConnell has warned that if the fiscal year 2023 spending measure fails to gain bipartisan support this week, he would seek another short-term patch into next year, guaranteeing that the new Republican majority in the House would get to shape the package.
Leahy argued against that approach in releasing the bill saying, “the choice is clear. We can either do our jobs and fund the government, or we can abandon our responsibilities without a real path forward."
Despite the warning, McConnell framed the longer-term spending bill as a victory for the GOP, even as many will undoubtedly vote against it. He said Republicans were successful in increasing defense spending far beyond Biden's request while scaling back some of the increase Biden wanted for domestic spending.
“The Congress is rejecting the Biden administration's vision and doing the exact opposite," McConnell said.
Lawmakers are nearing completion of the 2023 spending package nearly three months late. It was supposed to be finished by last Oct. 1, when the government’s fiscal year began.
The last time Congress enacted all its spending bills by then was in 1996, when the Senate finished its work on Sept. 30, the very last day of the budget year. Then-President Bill Clinton signed it that same day.
The Senate is expected to vote on the spending bill first where support from at least 10 Republican senators will be needed to pass it before the measure is considered by the House. As has been the case with recent catchall spending bills, lawmakers voiced concerns about passing legislation containing thousands of pages on short notice.