The headquarters for the National Science Foundation is moving to a nearby building in Alexandria, Va., the General Services Administration announced on Friday. However, the agency, which manages federal properties, did not provide a timeline for NSF’s relocation.
NSF needs a new headquarters because in June its current one was set to be the new home of the Housing and Urban Development Department.
HUD’s current headquarters — the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building in Washington, D.C. — is on a list of government buildings that GSA is prioritizing selling or otherwise offloading. The Weaver Building has more than $500 million in deferred maintenance and modernization needs and is only at half its total occupancy despite nearly all employees working in the office because of the virtual elimination of agency telework.
American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403, which represents NSF employees, criticized the June announcement, seizing on the lack of a plan for where to relocate roughly 1,800 NSF employees. AFGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest development.
Likewise, Sens. Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and Rep. Don Beyer, all Virginia Democrats, questioned the decision, stressing in a June letter to GSA that NSF’s current headquarters was completed in 2017 and designed specifically for the science agency.
Now, Beyer, whose district includes Alexandria, said that he is “thrilled” NSF will remain in the city.
“I hope this announcement brings NSF employees the clarity and security they deserve, and that this move will provide a stable, long-term solution for NSF,” he said in a statement to Government Executive.
Kaine and Warner also welcomed Friday’s announcement in statements to Government Executive, but Warner urged GSA in the future to “operate with greater transparency and in greater collaboration with affected stakeholders.
The Trump administration’s decision to keep NSF in Virginia also upholds a desire from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, who backed HUD’s move to Alexandria but also wanted to keep NSF in the state.
A GSA press release does not say when NSF employees will move into their new headquarters, which is on the same campus as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but notes that the leased space will need to be built-out for them and that HUD will relocate to Alexandria “in the near future.”
GSA officials also said in the press release that the moves will yield “significant cost savings,” but they did not provide a specific number nor did they address how much money is necessary to relocate the two federal agencies.
The agency did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
The Trump administration has sought to reduce the amount of space the federal government owns and leases, largely continuing a priority from Biden’s term.
“[NSF’s] relocation reflects President Trump’s commitment to delivering results for the American people through smart government and responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources,” said acting GSA Administrator Mike Rigas in a statement. “GSA reached a major milestone in consolidating our federal real estate portfolio to deliver an efficient workplace that enables both the NSF and HUD to better achieve their missions.”
