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The US National Science Foundation looks likely to be dragged kicking
and screaming into the suburbs of Washington.

The NSF now occupies four buildings in downtown Washington. It asked
the General Services Administration several years ago to find it new and
larger offices. But when the GSA leased a building in Arlington, a half-hour
taxi ride from the centre of government, the NSF tried to veto the move.
It protested that its ‘role in the science and technology process would
be significantly diminished’ if it left its current headquarters two blocks
from the White House.

Congress’s General Accounting Office, called in to investigate, reported
last week that the NSF’s protests had no merit. ‘We could find no evidence
that NSF will not be able to accomplish its mission in Arlington,’ said
the GAO. While the location may be less convenient for agency staff attending
meetings downtown, the GAO found that Arlington offered other attractions:
There are 43 ‘eating establishments’ within two blocks of the new location,
compared to only 11 near the White House.