A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s plan to move the FBI’s headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. It’s the latest turn in a yearslong fight over where to put the bureau’s new central location.
The current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover building in D.C., has been deteriorating for years. Nets surround the building to protect pedestrians from falling debris as it falls further into disrepair.
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
In 2023, the Biden administration chose Greenbelt, Maryland, after a long-running site selection process. But last year, the Trump administration scrapped that plan and chose the Reagan building in downtown D.C. instead.
At the time, FBI Director Kash Patel called the change “the most cost-effective and resource-efficient way to carry out our mission.” President Donald Trump had previously criticized the Greenbelt location, calling Maryland a “liberal state.”
The state of Maryland and Prince George’s County sued over the change of plans.
The judge’s ruling
Now, a federal judge says the administration didn’t have the legal authority to make that switch, ruling that Congress had required the government to choose from three specific sites, including Greenbelt.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, an Obama appointee, ruled that the move was “not in accordance with law,” and blocked the Trump administration from not only moving the FBI to the Reagan building, but from renovating the building for the FBI or repurposing funds.
In his 47-page opinion, Chuang called the Trump administration’s plan “arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law.”
Chuang ordered the state of Maryland and the Trump administration to file a joint status report outlining proposed next steps within two weeks.
Responses to the ruling
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the court victory is “about more than a building,” and called it a win not only for Maryland, but for congressional authority.
“It is about ensuring that when Congress makes a decision, the Federal Government cannot simply ignore it because they do not like the outcome,” Brown said. “Congress made a promise. The Trump administration tried to break it. Now, the jobs, investment, and opportunity Marylanders deserve are within reach.”
Maryland’s Democratic governor also lauded the decision.
“Now it is time to stop the games and get to work building the world-class FBI headquarters that our public servants deserve, where it belongs: in Prince George’s County, Maryland,” Gov. Wes Moore said.
The FBI is pushing back, saying the judge’s ruling was political.
“This is not the first time courts have tried to undermine the administration in its goal to make government more cost-effective for American taxpayers,” an FBI spokesperson told CBS News in a statement. “The court has chosen to impermissibly intervene for political reasons. This FBI is mission focused and will continue the best course of action to meet the needs of law enforcement.”
The Trump administration has not yet said whether it will appeal.
Round out your reading
- All your questions about napping, answered.
- Trump’s $5,000 promise echoes past payouts that never materialized.
- Inside the effort to make data centers pay their share of electricity costs.
- Why did the Feds seize the ’largest Martian meteorite on Earth’?
- Photos and video show exactly where and when Trump visited Ground Zero after 9/11.
