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Judge blocks Trump plan to keep FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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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 administration illegally discarded a congressionally approved 2023 decision by the General Services Administration (GSA) to build a new complex in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Trump administration had sought to move the FBI from the J. Edgar Hoover Building to the Ronald Reagan Building, a few blocks away, diverting about $1 billion in funding approved for the Maryland campus. Maryland sued after Trump reversed the previous plan, which ended nearly 15 years of debate. The judge barred the move to the Reagan Building and the diversion of funds. The New York Times noted the ruling is likely not the end of the dispute, and the FBI continues to operate from its aging Hoover Building, which is covered in netting to prevent falling concrete.
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 unlawfully 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 relocate 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.
Congressional Mandate
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 "almost 15 years" of debate over where to base the law enforcement agency.
Legal Challenge
Maryland filed a lawsuit after Trump attempted to reverse the decision. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled in favor of the state, barring the administration from:
- Moving the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building
- Diverting approximately $1 billion in funding 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."
Source
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Federal Judge Blocks FBI HQ Relocation to Reagan Building