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HUD, Youngkin announce plans to move department to National Science Foundation headquarters in Alexandria

Washington, June 25, 2025
Originally published in WUSA 9

The Department of Housing and Urban Development headquarters will move to the Alexandria building that currently houses the National Science Foundation, Secretary Scott Turner announced Wednesday. 

The move will bring HUD's 2,700 D.C. employees across the Potomac River to work in Virginia. Still, as critics have noted, the move makes the future uncertain for the more than 1,800 employees of the National Science Foundation -- who already have a headquarters on Alexandria's Eisenhower Avenue.

HUD is currently headquartered at the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building on 7th Street in the District. The cabinet-agency has been stationed there since 1968, three years after HUD was established as a department. 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who also spoke at Wednesday's announcement, called the move "a historic day for Virginia." 

The Republican governor, who has marketed his state as a destination for Trump administration officials and employees, said the move will save U.S. taxpayers money. 

"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," Youngkin told Turner. "... Thank you for recognizing your role in leading the president's vision for a more efficient government that understands that money belongs to taxpayers and it doesn't belong to the federal government. 

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), whose district includes Alexandria, criticized Secretary Turner's decision to seemingly displace the National Science Foundation. 

"As a proud Alexandrian, I am always proud to welcome federal agencies into our community, but this proposed move raises serious concerns about the future of the National Science Foundation, the over 1,800 employees who work in the building and the broader integrity of American science," Beyer said. 

The Democratic congressman said the best way for HUD to improve conditions for its workers would be to end the Trump administration's purge of federal employees. 

"The best way to demonstrate the value of HUD staff would be to halt ongoing attempts to halt ongoing attempts to lay them off," Beyer said. 

Founded in 1950, the U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the federal government that supports non-medical fields of science research and engineering. The agency moved to Alexandria in 2017 from its prior headquarters in Arlington. Essentially, the non-medical equivalent of the National Institutes of Health.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3403, an AFL-CIO union division that represents National Science Foundation workers, called HUD's move a "takeover" and called Turner's plans "callous." Union representatives highlighted some extravagant accommodations for Turner that the secretary apparently requested ahead of the move. 

According to AFGE Local 3403, these included: 

  • A dedicated executive suite for the HUD Secretary on the 19th floor. 
  • The construction of an executive dining room. 
  • Reserved parking spaces for the Secretary’s 5 cars. 
  • Exclusive use of one elevator for the Secretary. 
  • A space dedicated to hosting the Secretary’s executive assistants on the 18th floor. 
  • A potential gym for the HUD Secretary and his family.

"This kind of let-them-eat-cake approach to government is absurd," AFGE 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 HUD. The hypocrisy is truly dumbfounding." 

Michael Peters, the commissioner of the General Services Administration, responsible for helping to manage and support the basic functions of federal agencies, countered that the move would actually save money since HUD's current Weaver Federal building headquarters would require "hundreds of millions in long-term repairs." 

The City of Alexandria also released a statement welcoming HUD, while also acknowledging the National Science Foundation's presence in the city. Mayor Alyia Gaskins and City Manager James Parajon attended Turner's announcement Wednesday. 

"Alexandria ... is a premier city to live, work, visit and do business, and it is a place where businesses choose because we collaborate ... It is that spirit of collaboration that originally brought the National Science Foundation to Alexandria in 2017," the City of Alexandria statement reads. "In a region where federal, state and local responsibilities intersect daily, collaboration and coordination are essential."