ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — Federal workers protested the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) move to the current National Science Foundation (NSF) headquarters in Virginia on Tuesday, forcing the planned press conference by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and HUD Sec. Scott Turner to be moved into a secure room.
NSF employees, represented by the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403, claimed that plans for HUD’s relocation to their Alexandria building involved “construction of an executive dining room” for Turner and “reserved parking spaces for the Secretary’s 5 cars.”
The union also claimed that a potential new gym is in the works for Turner “and his family” to use, and HUD’s imminent takeover of the building was concealed from them until earlier this week.
Turner, who has repeatedly criticized his agency’s current headquarters inside the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building in Washington, DC, denied the claims that he advocated for the move to satisfy any personal desire for a more luxurious office.
However, before he, Youngkin, or the General Services Administration (GSA) could explain the decision or answer any questions, their press conference was crashed by angry NSF workers:
Dozens of employees poured into the east wing of the second floor to boo and chant, “NSF! NSF!” — prompting security personnel to usher the governor, secretary, GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Peters, their respective staffers, and journalists into another room.
Once the press briefing could begin without interruption, Turner emphasized that HUD’s move is to prioritize the “health, safety and well being for [the] HUD workforce,” who he said are “working in unsafe conditions to this day.”
“I would hope that no leader in government or otherwise would expect staff to work every day in an atmosphere where the air quality is questionable, leaks are nearly unstoppable, and the HVAC is almost unworkable, just to name a few examples,” the secretary said, “in addition to the broken elevator banks that have been broken for years.”
The Weaver Building has had major repair issues for years, with a March Fox News report by Bret Baier showing the unfinished state of HUD’s longtime headquarters:
The building, which opened in 1968, currently faces over $500 million in deferred maintenance and modernization needs, and it costs taxpayers more than $56 million every year in rent and operations expenditures.
In addition, with every member of HUD staff at its headquarters, the Weaver Building only sits at half of its total occupancy.
In April, the GSA and HUD announced that the building had been moved to the accelerated disposition list.
“So it’s time for change,” Turner said. “And as you see here today, this announcement underscores a cross-government partnership to use federal spaces’ taxpayer dollars efficiently, ensuring that all buildings are being properly utilized.”
Youngkin appeared excited to share the news with Virginians, touting the economic benefit of having HUD’s 2,700 headquarters-based employees move to his state.
“Thank you for your leadership behind transforming the workspace,” he said to Turner. “Also, I want to thank you for choosing Virginia. You know, it’s not every day — In fact, I don’t think it’s been ever — that a federal cabinet-level agency has moved its headquarters to Virginia.”
He also thanked Peters for “leading the president’s vision for more efficient government that understands that the money belongs to taxpayers and it doesn’t belong to the federal government, nor does it belong to the state government.”
Peters also highlighted saving taxpayer money:
For too long, the Weaver building has struggled with aging infrastructure and ongoing maintenance issues that continue to burden the American taxpayer while failing to deliver the workplaces that our public servants deserve and need to serve the public. The status quo is no longer sustainable. We’re going to turn the page by relocating HUD to a modern, vibrant facility here in Alexandria, and the taxpayers are going to save over $500 million in deferred maintenance, as well as $56 million in annual operating and maintenance expenses. This is a win for everyone involved here.
The commissioner also vowed to “continue to support” the NSF, and Youngkin expressed enthusiasm for keeping the agency local to Virginia.
“We had multiple sites that we presented to GSA for HUD, and we’re just dusting off and we’re going to present them for NSF,” the governor said. “And there are sites here in Alexandria, and there’s sites and other spots in Northern Virginia, so I view this as a great opportunity for us to provide another great home for a great workforce — folks that are used to living and working and being in Virginia.”
When a reporter asked if the rumors shared by NSF workers were true, Turner said, “That’s ridiculous.”
“And, it’s not true. This is not about Scott Turner. It’s never been about Scott Turner,” he asserted. “I didn’t come to government to get nice things, you understand? … This is about the HUD employees to have a safe space, to have a nice place to work, to represent the people that we serve in America.”
The rumors have “no merit” and “no truth” to them, he added.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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