Judge rejects Trump plan to move FBI within Washington rather than Greenbelt

A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration plan to relocate the FBI’s headquarters to a government-owned complex in Washington, ruling that officials illegally set aside a previously approved plan to move the agency to Greenbelt.

In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang found that the administration’s decision last year to move the FBI from its 52-year-old, brutalist-style headquarters to the nearby Ronald Reagan Building was unlawful and exceeded the federal government’s statutory authority.

The judge vacated the FBI’s and General Services Administration’s decisions, as well as the shifting of $555 million for the new location.

“If the Reagan Building project moves forward, Plaintiffs will lose the opportunity to have the substantial economic benefits that would have a positive impact not just on individual private parties, but on the community in Prince George’s County,” wrote Chuang, who was nominated by President Barack Obama.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown celebrated the decision as a win — not just about a building, but about democracy. The former congressman said it was about “ensuring that when Congress makes a decision, the Federal Government cannot simply ignore it because they do not like the outcome.”

Greenbelt was among three sites, including two in Maryland, that the Biden administration considered before going with the small city in Prince George’s County.

“Congress told the federal government to select between A, B and C, yet the Trump Administration chose D,” Brown said in a video message. “We couldn’t let that stand”

In a joint statement, Maryland’s Democratic members of Congress wrote: “The Trump Administration had no grounds to ignore this selection, or redirect even one penny that Congress specifically appropriated for construction of the competitively selected site. We’re glad to see the Court acknowledge this fact.”

President Donald Trump in July 2025 announced his plan to house the agency in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, having previously signaled that he opposed moving the agency to “liberal” Maryland.

FBI Director Kash Patel backed Trump’s decision and said in a statement the Ronald Reagan Building was “the most cost effective and resource efficient way” to carry out the agency’s mission.

In November, Maryland and Prince George’s County sued the federal government over the change.

“President Trump tried to take from Maryland what Maryland had already won. He failed,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement.

The Democrat said it’s now time to “get to work” on the agency’s new headquarters “that our public servants deserve, where it belongs: in Prince George’s County, Maryland.”

Brown agreed. “By blocking the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to move the FBI to the Reagan Building and divert the funds Congress set aside for this project, the Court has cleared the path back to Greenbelt,” he said.

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy applauded the judge for righting a wrong, saying Maryland won the competition fair and square. Braveboy noted the project would create more than 7,500 jobs and add $4 billion to the county and state’s GDP.

“Prince George’s County simply wants the opportunity to reap the economic benefits that would flow from locating the FBI HQ in Greenbelt,” Braveboy said in a statement. “Today’s decision will help us get there.”

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson called the court’s ruling “a win for Maryland, and a win for the rule of law.”

Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, whose district includes Prince George’s County, called the judge’s ruling “a victory for Prince George’s County and for every Marylander who refused to give up on the commitment made to our state.”

“For our residents, this has never simply been about where a federal building will stand,” she said in a statement. “It is about what that investment can mean for a small business owner, a young person hoping to build a career close to home, and families who have invested in these communities for generations and deserve to see that investment returned.”