Annapolis, MD — Maryland Democrats want to know why Governor Larry Hogan isn’t outraged as the Trump administration pulls the plug on the long-planned FBI headquarters project, which could have brought 11,000 jobs to Maryland. Hogan’s dismissal if the Trump turn-around is similar to his tone-deaf response to news that Discovery would be leaving Maryland for New York in 2019.
Hogan is the first Maryland governor in decades to lose a Fortune 500 company to a rival state in decades.
Democrats in Maryland’s congressional delegation have been working for years to bring the FBI’s new headquarters to Maryland, but this week, the Trump administration announced that it was cancelling the consolidation project, and will rebuild at the FBI’s current headquarters in Washington instead. Maryland Democrats condemned the Trump administration and vowed to do all they can to save the project, but Hogan shrugged off the news, saying he is “disappointed.”
“Governor Hogan’s fear of confronting Donald Trump is becoming painful to watch,” said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews. “Donald Trump’s foolish decision to waste years of work from the Maryland congressional delegation and ignore consensus that a consolidated FBI headquarters is in the national security interests of our country should elicit more than just disappointment from Governor Hogan. Instead of throwing in the towel, he should join Democrats in our congressional delegation who have vowed to continue fighting to bring the new FBI headquarters and its 11,000 jobs to Maryland.”
Several Maryland Democrats vowed to fight the decision.
Senator Chris Van Hollen said: “We’re going to be fighting this decision. They have reneged on the commitment to consolidate the FBI on a different campus in a more secure location.”
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said: ““We must get to the bottom of why the Trump Administration reached this decision. I call on Congress to reject this reckless proposal, and look into why the Administration would make such a careless decision.”
Last month, Hogan become the first Maryland governor in decades to lose a Fortune 500 company to another state after Discovery announced that it will be moving to New York in 2019. Last year, Facebook, Nestle, and Boeing chose to invest in Virginia instead of Maryland.