June 25 (UPI) — The Department of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday announced plans to move 2,7000 employees from its headquarters in the District of Columbia to space in northern Virginia occupied by the National Science Foundation.
It’s the first major agency to relocate headquarters as part of the Trump administration’s effort to reduce real estate, officials said at a news conference.
HUD is currently on Seventh Street near the National Mall. The 10-story Robert C. Weaver building, which HUD Secretary Turner previously described as “the ugliest building in D.C.,” opened in 1968 shortly after the agency was created. The building is named after the first HUD secretary.
The building was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
In all there are approximately 9,600 HUD employees nationwide.
Turner posted video of the current and planned headquarters on X.
The building is now occupied by 1,800 employees of the NSF, which is an independent agency of the federal government. A relocation timeline wasn’t announced.
NSF, which was created in 1981, moved into the building in 2017 after 24 years in Arlington, Va.
NSF funds approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States’ colleges and universities.
The Trump administration is planning a 57% reduction from NSF’s previous $9 billion budget. Those cuts are part of broader reduced funding of health research cuts, impacting the National Institutes of Health.
Michael Peters, the commissioner of the GSA’s Public Building Service, said GSA is “committed to helping them continue to fulfill their mission.”
Peters said there are more than $22 million in yearly operational expenditures of the current HUD building.
“The Robert C. Weaver Federal Building requires hundreds of millions in long-term repairs and this move will ensure they quickly have access to a modern work environment that fits their needs,” Peters said in a HUD news release.
Peters appeared at a news conference with Turner and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Foundation employees gathered and shouted, “We won’t go!” and “N-S-F,” The news conference was relocated to a more private space in the building, WRC-TV reported.
“It is time to turn the page on the Weaver Building and relocate to a new headquarters that prioritizes the well-being of HUD employees and properly reflects the passion and excellence of our team,” Turner said. “There are serious concerns with the current state of HUD’s headquarters, including health hazards, leaks, and structural and maintenance failures. Many of these risks will needlessly and irresponsibly continue to absorb taxpayer dollars. Relocating is about more than just changing buildings; it’s about a mission-minded shift that we hope will inspire every employee.”
Youngkin, a Republican, supports the change.
“Virginia is a great place to be headquartered, and we are excited to welcome the Department of Housing and Urban Development and their over 2,700 headquarters-based employees to the best state in America to live, work, and raise a family,” Youngkin said. “Since the Trump administration started transforming the federal government to better serve the American people, our team has been focused on seizing the new opportunities that this presents for the Commonwealth.”
The union representing employees of the National Science Foundation released a statement criticizing the move.
“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,” the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 wrote 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.”
The union said it didn’t receive details on the plans to move.
“This kind of let-them-eat-cake approach to government is absurd,” the union said. “At a time when they claim to be cutting government waste, it is unbelievable that government funding is being redirected to build a palace-like office for the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The hypocrisy is truly dumbfounding.”
The area in Alexandria is also home to other federal offices, including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services application support center and the office of the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.