FBI leaving iconic Hoover Building, scuttling plans for move to Maryland


Summary

Change of plans

The FBI announced it will move to the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington. In 2023, the Biden administration approved plans to build a new headquarters in suburban Maryland.

Trump opposition

President Donald Trump said he didn’t want the FBI to move to Maryland, which he described as a “liberal state.”

Replacing an icon

The J. Edgar Hoover Building was a familiar site in movies and television shows, but it has been described as “decrepit,” “rundown,” and “crumbling.”


Full story

The FBI is vacating its longtime headquarters, the iconic J. Edgar Hoover Building, for a new home in downtown Washington. The move to the nearby Ronald Reagan Building scuttles plans to relocate the bureau to suburban Maryland.

The decision ends years of political jockeying over where to locate the nation’s most prominent federal law enforcement agency. Lawmakers from Maryland and Virginia promoted competing sites, and President Donald Trump once proposed downsizing the bureau’s presence in Washington and moving thousands of FBI employees to remote offices in Alabama, Idaho, and West Virginia.

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An announcement from the FBI did not specify when the move would occur or the associated costs. However, FBI Director Kash Patel described the decision to relocate as “a historic moment.”

“We are ushering FBI Headquarters into a new era and providing our agents of justice a safer place to work,” Patel said. “Moving to the Ronald Reagan Building is the most cost effective and resource efficient way to carry out our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution.”

Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM

The J. Edgar Hoover Building was the home of the FBI for 50 years. The bureau plans to move to the Ronald Reagan Building, three blocks away in downtown Washington.

Trump opposed move to Maryland

The relocation decision overrides plans approved by the Biden administration in 2023 to build a new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland, about 15 miles northeast of downtown Washington.

Top FBI officials had favored a site in Washington’s Virginia suburbs. However, the General Services Administration, the government’s real estate arm, overruled them.

When he returned to the White House this year, Trump, who has been at odds with FBI leaders for most of the past decade, made it clear he wanted to keep the headquarters in the capital, according to The Washington Post.

“They were going to build an FBI headquarters three hours away in Maryland, a liberal state,” Trump said in a speech in March. Although he said the state’s politics had “no bearing” on his decision, he added: “We’re going to stop it. We’re not going to let that happen.”

‘Hasty, improvised approach’

Political leaders from both Maryland and Virginia denounced the decision to keep the FBI headquarters in Washington.

“The FBI deserves a headquarters that meets their security and mission needs – and following an extensive, thorough, and transparent process, Greenbelt, Maryland, was selected as the site that best meets those requirements,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement that his office released to Straight Arrow News. “Not only was this decision final, the Congress appropriated funds specifically for the purpose of the new, consolidated campus to be built in Maryland.”

“Simply moving down the street would ignore the real threats the Bureau faces and further jeopardize the safety of those protecting our communities,” Moore added. “That’s why we will be fighting back against this proposal with every tool we have.”

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Democrats from Virginia who spent years promoting a site in their state for the headquarters, said moving to the Ronald Reagan Building “isn’t a plan, it’s a punt.”

“For years, Democratic and Republican administrations alike have agreed on the need for a secure, purpose-built headquarters that actually meets the FBI’s mission needs,” Warner and Kaine said in a statement. 

“The law enforcement and intelligence professionals of the FBI deserve more than a hasty, improvised approach,” they added.

From ‘ugliest’ to most expensive

The Brutalist edifice of the 50-year-old Hoover Building, named for the FBI’s first director, is familiar to generations of television and movie viewers. However, as the structure has aged, it has been described as “decrepit,” “crumbling” and “rundown.” It is also considered one of the ugliest buildings in the United States.

In a statement, Stephen Ehikian, the acting director of the General Services Administration, said that leaving the Hoover Building was necessary due to “accumulated years of deferred maintenance” that left the structure with an aging water system and concrete that is falling off its facade.

Three blocks away, the Ronald Reagan Building opened in 1998. At the time, its $768 million price tag made it the most expensive federal building ever constructed.

The building was the home of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which formally ceased operations on Tuesday, July 1. It also houses the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and has private-sector tenants, as well as event space available for rent.

At 3.1 million square feet, it is about 10% larger than the FBI’s current headquarters.

Chris Field (Executive Editor) and Joey Nunez (Video Editor) contributed to this report.
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Why this story matters

The decision to move the FBI headquarters to another building in Washington, rather than relocate to suburban Maryland, concludes years of debate and has broader implications for federal agency planning and political influence.

Federal agency relocation

The decision to change the location of the FBI's new headquarters reflects different priorities after the change in presidential administrations.

Political influence

Discussions about the FBI's new site have highlighted how political considerations and leadership changes can shape federal agency decisions.

Community and economic impact

The choice of headquarters location has significant economic effects on the surrounding communities, with officials and lawmakers advocating for local investment and job creation.

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Community reaction

Local and state officials in Maryland expressed disappointment and criticism about the change in plans, emphasizing the economic benefits the proposed Greenbelt headquarters could have delivered to their communities. Meanwhile, D.C. officials generally welcomed the decision, pointing to the advantages of keeping major federal operations within the District.

Context corner

Deciding where to locate the FBI headquarters has been a long-standing and contentious process spanning nearly two decades. Over the years, both Maryland and Virginia competed to host the new site, with various administrations shifting preferences, reflecting ongoing debates about government efficiency, security, and regional economic interests.

Quote bank

"This is a historic moment for the FBI," said Director Kash Patel. According to GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian, the existing headquarters is "a great example of a government building that has accumulated years of deferred maintenance." Maryland lawmakers responded, "Congress appropriated funds specifically for the purpose of the new, consolidated campus to be built in Maryland."

Bias comparison

  • Media outlets on the left portray the FBI move as a contentious pivot, emphasizing political conflict by framing the decision as “abandoning” Maryland’s “liberal” suburban campus and accusing the Trump administration of “undermining Congressional intent,” thereby injecting skepticism about security and legislative propriety.
  • Not enough unique coverage from media outlets in the center to provide a bias comparison.
  • Media outlets on the right hail the relocation as a “historic moment,” celebrating Kash Patel’s role and using charged terms like “shut down” and “dump” to vividly condemn the Hoover Building, portraying the move as a fiscally responsible triumph under Trump’s leadership.

Media landscape

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145 total sources

Key points from the Left

  • The Trump administration announced that the FBI headquarters will relocate from the J. Edgar Hoover Building to the Ronald Reagan Building in D.C., not in Maryland or Virginia, marking a reversal of previous plans.
  • FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the move to the Reagan Building is 'the most cost effective and resource efficient way to carry out our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution.'
  • Democratic lawmakers expressed their intent to contest this decision, arguing the plan to move to Greenbelt, Maryland, had already been finalized with appropriated funds.
  • The Ronald Reagan Building will be shared with agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as the Hoover Building has needed significant repairs for years.

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Key points from the Center

  • On Tuesday, the FBI and GSA announced they selected the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown D.C., a few blocks from the J. Edgar Hoover Building, as the new headquarters.
  • After 15 years of planning, the aging and deteriorating J. Edgar Hoover Building led to the scrapping of a 2023 Maryland campus proposal, prompting the relocation to the Reagan Building.
  • GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Peters highlighted that the move saves Americans billions of dollars and avoids over $300 million in deferred maintenance costs.
  • Maryland officials question whether funds can be redirected without Congress, citing existing appropriations for the Maryland campus, prompting political pushback against the relocation plan.
  • LeBlanc warns that agency relocations may trigger a ripple effect, ending a nearly 20-year federal headquarters planning saga.

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Key points from the Right

  • The FBI and General Services Administration announced on July 1 that the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Will be the new headquarters, replacing the J. Edgar Hoover Building.
  • FBI Director Kash Patel stated, "This is a historic moment for the FBI" and emphasized the benefits of moving to a safer facility.
  • The decision will save American taxpayers billions compared to building a new campus in Maryland, according to GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Peters.
  • The current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, has structural issues and is described by Patel as "unsafe for our workforce.

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