HUD to move into National Science Foundation building in Alexandria

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is relocating its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to the National Science Foundation building in Alexandria — a move that will displace more than 1,830 NSF employees.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced Wednesday the relocation of HUD headquarters from the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building in D.C. to 2415 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria, where NSF currently resides.

The move is meant to address health and safety concerns and improve the department’s work culture. HUD says that for decades, the Robert C. Weaver building — owned by the U.S. General Services Administration — has been plagued by severe long-term infrastructure, safety, health and operational challenges and has “deteriorated well beyond the point of cost-effective repair.” According to HUD, the building would require nearly $500 million in improvements and maintenance over the next four years to meet minimum federal standards.

HUD plans to implement a staggered employee relocation plan, in coordination with the GSA. The department argues the move will save taxpayers money, including more than $22 million in yearly operations expenditures.

“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 in a statement.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement that he was excited to welcome HUD and its more than 2,700 headquarters-based employees to Virginia.

But the news drew criticism from the AFGE Local 3403 union representing NSF employees. A Tuesday press release from the union, which anticipated Wednesday’s announcement, said that more than 1,833 NSF employees work in the building and that many were forced to relocate to Northern Virginia with very short notice and “at great personal expense when return to work orders were given.”

“NSF employees are being displaced with no plan, no communication and no respect,” the union said.

NPR reported in May that a preliminary budget request from the White House called for cutting $4.7 billion from NSF, more than half the agency’s $9 billion budget. NPR reported the proposal was revealed the same day the NSF said 344 previously approved grants had been terminated as they “were not aligned with agency priorities.”

“This kind of let-them-eat-cake approach to government is absurd,” AFGE Local 3403 said in its release. “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 City of Alexandria said in a statement: “We welcome HUD, the first cabinet-level agency to locate in Alexandria, its 2,700 employees and its vital mission to our community. And we are committed to making sure that the National Science Foundation, its workers and its vital mission continue to make their home in Alexandria.”

HUD did not immediately return requests for comment. NSF declined to comment.