The state of Maryland has filed a lawsuit against the FBI after the agency altered its plans to construct a new headquarters on a designated site in Greenbelt, opting instead to utilize an existing facility in downtown Washington, D.C.
The suit claims that the Trump administration ignored spending directives from Congress and misused $555 million in allocated funds when it declared the Ronald Reagan Building as the new location, a choice made after the U.S. Agency for International Development’s closure left vacant space there, rather than following through with the Greenbelt site selected through a lengthy bidding process.
“The General Services Administration (GSA) officially completed the site selection process in 2023, choosing the Greenbelt location. Following this decision, Congress secured additional funding for the project. However, in July 2025, both the FBI and GSA unexpectedly announced the selection of the Ronald Reagan Building as the new headquarters and planned to redirect previously allocated funds toward its development,” the state’s report detailed.
“These decisions completely disregard Congress’s clear directives regarding site selection and the appropriate use of funds,” it continued.
As of now, the FBI has not commented on the lawsuit, nor has the GSA provided any remarks.
This legal action is part of ongoing efforts to relocate the FBI from its deteriorating headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building, which has had netting installed to protect pedestrians from hazardous falling debris.
Maryland contends that the FBI cannot dismiss essential laws that govern the site selection process and give explicit advice on how to allocate federal funding for the new headquarters.
Maryland Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, both Democrats, stated, “The Trump administration has no foundation to ignore this selection or to misallocate even a dime designated specifically for construction on a site chosen by Congress.” They also expressed concerns about unanswered questions regarding taxpayer expense and the safety of the new location.
Moreover, Maryland argues that the Ronald Reagan Building has significant issues that will necessitate costly renovations to meet FBI safety standards. Previous evaluations indicated that $95 million would be required to upgrade the fire protection system and an additional $38 million to address leaks in the building’s core.
The site selection process lasted several years and included three potential locations, with Maryland and Virginia competing for the opportunity.
Virginia has raised concerns about the integrity of the process and is advocating for a halt, as the Office of Inspector General is set to review it following messages from former FBI Director Christopher Wray, who expressed “concerns about fairness and transparency.” He also pointed out that the GSA failed to adhere to its own site selection plan.
When announcing plans to utilize the Reagan Building, FBI Director Kash Patel defended the choice, claiming it was more efficient to leverage existing space instead of building anew. “Moving to the Ronald Reagan Building is the most cost-effective and resource-efficient way to fulfill our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution,” Patel asserted in July when the decision was revealed.
Earlier, Mr. Van Hollen attempted to block the move by incorporating language into the Justice Department’s annual budget proposal; however, that language ultimately didn’t make it to the final bill.
