HUD becomes first major cabinet agency to exit DC, citing ‘failing’ HQ -- which DOGE wants to sell

EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Commonwealth of Virginia volition denote Wednesday that the bureau volition beryllium the archetypal large furniture section to relocate retired of Washington, D.C. during President Donald Trump’s term.

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and HUD Secretary Scott Turner are acceptable to christen the agency’s caller location astatine the already existing National Science Foundation (NSF) gathering successful Alexandria’s Carlyle-Eisenhower neighborhood, which is besides location to a Wegman's market store, a movie theatre and respective shops and high-end restaurants.

HUD’s current headquarters connected L’Enfant Plaza is besides connected the Senate DOGE Caucus’ database of buildings they privation to spot sold disconnected to prevention payer funds. The curved X-shaped granite building, officially called the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, is "underutilized," according to their rubric.

Turner noted that the relocation volition unlock hundreds of millions successful payer savings and code superior wellness concerns among unit astatine L’Enfant.

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"It is clip to crook the leafage connected the Weaver Building and relocate to a caller office that prioritizes the well-being of HUD employees and decently reflects the passionateness and excellence of our team," Turner told Fox News Digital.

"There are superior concerns with the existent authorities of HUD’s headquarters, including wellness hazards, leaks, and structural and attraction failures. Many of these risks volition needlessly and irresponsibly proceed to sorb payer dollars. Relocating is astir much than conscionable changing buildings; it’s astir a mission-minded displacement that we anticipation volition animate each employee."

Turner, a erstwhile Washington Redskins cornerback, added that it besides aligns with President Donald Trump’s imaginativeness for a "New American Golden Age."

Youngkin was arsenic enthused astir HUD’s determination to the Old Dominion.

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"Virginia is simply a large spot to beryllium headquartered, and we are excited to invited the Department of Housing and Urban Development and their implicit 2,700 headquarters-based employees to the champion authorities successful America to live, work, and rise a family," Youngkin told Fox News Digital.

Amid plans by then-Elon Musk-led DOGE to relocate national workers, Youngkin faced disapproval for not speaking retired much forcefully against the medication — disapproval that mostly fizzled aft Wednesday’s announcement revealed the caller office would beryllium conscionable a fewer stops from downtown Washington connected the Metro’s Yellow Line.

"Since the Trump medication started transforming the national authorities to amended service the American people, our squad has been focused connected seizing the caller opportunities that this presents for the commonwealth," Youngkin said. "Virginia is the arrogant location to galore nationalist and backstage assemblage headquarters, and we convey HUD enactment for trusting america and are committed to supporting your important nationalist mission."

Youngkin had taken slings and arrows implicit his enactment for such DOGE efforts, including from Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, who antecedently criticized his presumption connected federal idiosyncratic relocation.

"This is astir people's jobs, their lives, their quality to enactment their families, and it's astir the aboriginal of the Virginia economy," Surovell told VPM.

The HUD relocation, however, falls conscionable crossed Cameron Run Creek from Surovell’s district.

Michael Peters, the commissioner of the General Services Administration, which manages national existent estate, praised the determination to Virginia, saying it reflects his agency’s committedness to fiscal work and "mission effectiveness."

Investments to-date successful the Weaver gathering totaled $90 cardinal implicit the past 15 years, including plaza, extortion and façade repairs.

HUD expects "significant demand" from the backstage assemblage for its aged location – located conscionable eastbound of the Smithsonian, southbound of the National Mall and wrong walking region of the caller Waterfront Wharf societal area.

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Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, near and Gov. Glenn Youngkin. (Getty)

Mold and asbestos containment person plagued the building, which besides has lone astir fractional of its elevators successful moving operation.

The bureau besides noted determination are astir 1,000 much employees astatine HUD versus NSF – which they calculated to effect a $51-per-square-foot savings connected gathering usage and maintenance.

Fox News Digital besides reached retired to Senate DOGE Chairwoman Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for comment.

Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.