Wire flash
Judge blocks Trump's plan to keep FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
A federal judge in Maryland, Theodore Chuang, blocked President Donald Trump's plan to keep the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., ruling that the decision illegally discarded the General Services Administration's (GSA) congressionally approved 2023 plan to build a new complex in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Trump administration had sought to move the FBI from its aging J. Edgar Hoover Building to the Ronald Reagan Building, a few blocks away, and divert about $1 billion in funding approved for the Greenbelt campus. Maryland sued after Trump reversed the Biden-era decision. The judge's ruling bars the administration from proceeding with the Reagan Building move or diverting the funds. The New York Times noted the ruling is likely not the end of the lengthy dispute, and the FBI continues to operate from its deteriorating current headquarters.
Source report
A federal judge in Maryland on Monday blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to keep the FBI headquartered in Washington, D.C., ruling that the decision illegally disregarded the General Services Administration’s (GSA) congressionally approved 2023 decision to build a new complex in Maryland.
Background
The Trump administration announced last year that the FBI would move from its longtime headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building to the Ronald Reagan Building, located just a few blocks away. The Reagan Building previously housed the U.S. Agency for International Development.
However, Congress—through two separate laws—required the GSA to select a site for the FBI headquarters “from among three suburban locations outside of Washington,” according to Reuters. The Biden administration had chosen Greenbelt, Maryland, ending nearly 15 years of debate over where to base the law enforcement agency.
Legal Challenge
Maryland filed a lawsuit after Trump attempted to reverse the previous decision. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sided with the state, barring the administration from moving the FBI to the Reagan Building or diverting approximately $1 billion in funding that had been approved for the Greenbelt campus.
What’s Next
Chuang’s ruling is “almost certainly not the end of the lengthy dispute,” The New York Times reported. “In the meantime, the FBI continues to operate from its old headquarters, an aging colossus veiled in netting to keep concrete from falling on passers-by.”
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Join 350,000+ subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories—plus daily puzzles.
Source
TheWeek feedWestern
Part of this Story
Federal Judge Blocks FBI HQ Relocation to Reagan Building