ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland officials sued President Donald Trump’s administration Thursday for blocking the previously-approved construction of new FBI headquarters just outside the nation’s capital.
Gov. Wes Moore joined other Maryland leaders to criticize the plan to move the FBI’s headquarters several blocks from its current home in Washington to the Ronald Reagan Building complex, instead of to Greenbelt, Maryland, which had been selected by the Biden administration for a modern building after years of planning.
The FBI announced the change over the summer after a yearslong battle over the location. But Moore, a Democrat, described that building as “too old, too small and too exposed.”
“The big problem with the current FBI building is that it lacks the modern security provisions and protections that the bureau needs in 2025,” the governor said at a news conference with other Maryland officials.
The suburban Washington location chosen by the Biden administration was selected over nearby Virginia following an intense competition between the two states.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the Trump administration illegally discarded years of planning by Congress.
“What we’re really seeing is an administration that doesn’t like the decision Congress made, so they’re trying to undo it without going back to Congress,” Brown said. “That violates federal law. It violates congressional directives. It harms Marylanders who were promised jobs and opportunities. That’s why we took action.”
Brown, a Democrat, said the Trump administration is “attempting to unlawfully reprogram and transfer over $1 billion in funds that Congress designated specifically for the Greenbelt project.”
“They violated explicit congressional directives that limited site selection to the three authorized locations. They ignored federal requirements to consult with state and local government, and they acted arbitrarily and capriciously by abandoning years of careful planning without explanation or justification,” Brown said.
In the federal lawsuit, Maryland is asking the court to “stop the unlawful selection of the Reagan Building, prevent the diversion of congressionally appropriated funds and ensure the Trump administration follows the law,” Brown said.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the suit.
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks said the Greenbelt site was chosen after a thorough and transparent selection process that found it was “the site best for a new FBI headquarters that meets the Bureau’s security and mission needs.”
“The Trump Administration has no grounds to ignore this selection, or redirect even one penny that Congress specifically appropriated for construction of the competitively selected site,” the senators said in a joint statement.
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said building the headquarters in Greenbelt would be the largest economic development project in the history of the county, creating more than 7,500 jobs and add about $4 billion in economic benefit to the county and the state.
The FBI’s current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, was dedicated in 1975. Proponents of moving the headquarters have said the Brutalist-style building, where nets surround the facility to protect pedestrians from falling debris, has fallen into disrepair. Discussions have been underway for years to relocate it.
The FBI and General Services Administration announced in a joint statement in July that moving the headquarters just a few blocks away to an existing property would avert the need to construct a brand-new building in suburban Washington, which they said would have taken years and been costly for taxpayers.
The Reagan Building houses, among other tenants, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
