Federal judge blocks Trump administration plan to relocate new FBI headquarters to Washington
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U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang on Monday blocked the Trump administration from relocating the new FBI headquarters to Washington, D.C., rather than Greenbelt, Maryland. Chuang found the administration unlawfully scrapped the Greenbelt project and diverted $555 million in approved funding to the Ronald Reagan Building. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the ruling clears the way for the headquarters to return to Greenbelt.
Key Facts
- U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled the Trump administration lacked authority to select the Ronald Reagan Building and could not legally divert $555 million in funding approved by Congress.
- Congress passed measures in 2022 and 2023 requiring the General Services Administration to choose a new FBI headquarters site from Greenbelt, Landover, or Springfield outside Washington.
- The General Services Administration selected Greenbelt, Maryland, in 2023 under Democratic President Joe Biden.
- Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the ruling cleared the way for the headquarters project to return to Greenbelt, bringing jobs and investment.
The Judge's Ruling
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang on Monday blocked the Trump administration's plan to relocate the new FBI headquarters to Washington, D.C., rather than Greenbelt, Maryland. Chuang ruled the administration unlawfully scrapped the Greenbelt project and diverted money approved by Congress to the Ronald Reagan Building. The judge said selection of the Ronald Reagan Building violated 2022 and 2023 measures requiring the General Services Administration to pick from three short-listed sites outside Washington. Chuang wrote that the laws provided no conditions under which the selection could be unilaterally rescinded or switched to a nonconforming site. He said the administration could not legally divert $555 million of approved funding because it lacked authority to pick the Ronald Reagan Building.
The Site Selection Process
For almost 15 years, the federal government has worked to develop plans for a new FBI headquarters and received funding from Congress for the project. A pair of laws required the General Services Administration, which oversees federal real estate, to choose a site from three suburban locations: Greenbelt, Maryland; Landover, Maryland; or Springfield, Virginia. The GSA selected Greenbelt in 2023 during Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. If completed, the project would relocate the FBI from its current location in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington.
Maryland Reaction
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, said the ruling cleared the way for the headquarters project to return to Greenbelt, selected in 2023. Brown said Congress made a promise and the Trump administration tried to break it. He said the jobs, investment, and opportunity Marylanders deserve are now within reach. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Federal judge blocks Trump administration plan to relocate new FBI headquarters to Washington
