Don Beyer statement on Amazon HQ2

Congressman Don Beyer released the following statement today on the announcement that Amazon will move half of its HQ2 campus to Arlington County.

“Amazon’s announcement that it will bring half of its HQ2 to Arlington is a validation of a generation’s worth of work to make northern Virginia an economic engine of the nation.

“The Northern Virginia of my youth was a bedroom suburb of the nation’s capital.  The Northern Virginia of today is an economic and cultural dynamo, on the leading edge of the technology revolution that is bettering lives around the world. This transformation involved leadership by all sectors — business, higher education, government, and community.

“Based on my conversations with Amazon and state officials, I am excited to welcome Amazon to Virginia’s 8th — already one of the nation’s most iconic and most educated congressional districts. This is a district that is steeped in history, including George Washington’s home and the final resting place for hundreds of thousands of patriots. It is now also the place where the future is coming to life. The infusion of jobs, the diversification of our tax base, the Commonwealth’s dramatic expansion of computer science training in Virginia colleges and universities, starting with a new Virginia Tech graduate campus in Alexandria: these are some of the tangible gains of this victory. I am also eager to learn more and to work together as a state and region to confront the challenges this will inevitably bring to affordable housing and transportation.

“The people who have worked hard to attract Amazon to our community have been involved in this endeavor for months. Most of our citizens are just learning the details today. Now it is their turn to ask questions and to understand the implications for our region. These questions, and maybe even some serious concerns, are entirely legitimate.  I intend to take the lead in making sure that good questions get equally good answers and that all voices are heard.

“We all know that success presents its own challenges:

• Ensuring that all members of the community share in prosperity;
• Ensuring that transportation infrastructure connects these next generation jobs without punishing commutes;
• Ensuring that the quality of life — parks and open spaces, safe neighborhoods, well-educated children — keeps pace with rising wealth.

“Everything in my career — in the private sector and as a Virginia public official — has taught me that communities rise and fall together.  The infusion of jobs and investment that Amazon will bring to the region will benefit many people who will never collect an Amazon paycheck.

“Congratulations to Governor Northam, and all my fellow Virginians, for winning a robust national competition. And congratulations to Amazon for selecting a very special community and region, ripe with diversity and promise.”