Maryland Democrats are taking the FBI and the Trump administration to court after federal officials decided to keep the bureau’s new headquarters in Washington, D.C., rather than move it to the suburbs.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the state claimed the administration “ignored congressionally mandated spending plans” and improperly redirected $555 million that had been earmarked for a new facility in Greenbelt, Maryland. Instead, the FBI and the General Services Administration (GSA) plan to use space at the existing Ronald Reagan Building downtown—a decision the bureau says will save taxpayers money and make better use of existing federal real estate.
“The [General Services Administration] (GSA) duly completed the site selection process in 2023 and selected the Greenbelt site,” Maryland’s filing states. “In July 2025, however, the FBI and the GSA abruptly announced that they had selected a new site, the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., and took steps to redirect the previously appropriated funds toward developing an FBI headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building.”
The state claims these actions “flouted Congress’s explicit direction” to choose one of three suburban sites and argues the administration cannot “redirect even one penny that Congress specifically appropriated for construction of the competitively selected site.”
Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks accused the administration of “refusing to answer basic questions around the costs to taxpayers and security of the new site.”
But the FBI maintains its approach is more responsible. Director Kash Patel said in July the move “is the most cost effective and resource efficient way to carry out our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution.”
The lawsuit continues a long-running debate over where to house the bureau’s headquarters, which has been in the aging J. Edgar Hoover Building for decades. That structure’s deteriorating facade has long symbolized the need for an upgrade.
Maryland officials argue that the Reagan Building would require major renovations—$95 million in fire protection upgrades and $38 million in structural repairs—to meet FBI standards.
The site selection process has also faced criticism from neighboring Virginia, which claimed it was flawed. The Office of Inspector General is reviewing the process after former FBI Director Christopher Wray raised concerns about “fairness and transparency” and the GSA’s “failure to adhere to its own site selection plan.”
