BALTIMORE — On Thursday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, along with Prince George’s County, initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s choice to shift the proposed FBI headquarters from Greenbelt, Maryland, to Washington, D.C. They contend that this relocation breaches federal law and congressional mandates.
The lawsuit, submitted in federal court, claims that the administration has illegally forsaken the Greenbelt location, which Congress had sanctioned following a lengthy selection process spanning a decade. Furthermore, it alleges that the administration is attempting to reroute over $1 billion in allocated funds intended for the renovation of the Ronald Reagan Building located in downtown Washington.
“Maryland earned the new FBI headquarters through a fair and transparent selection process that took more than 10 years,” Brown said in a statement. “Now, the Trump administration wants to undermine that process, ignore the law, and divert more than $1 billion meant for a purpose-built headquarters — redirecting it instead to a nearly 30-year-old building unfit to accommodate the Bureau.”
In 2023, the General Services Administration (GSA) officially selected Greenbelt after evaluating three locations—Greenbelt and Landover in Maryland, along with Springfield, Virginia—as mandated by Congress. The state and county argue that the administration’s decision to reverse this in July 2025 not only overlooks those stipulations but also deprives Maryland of crucial economic advantages and job prospects associated with the initiative.
Governor Wes Moore criticized the administration’s move as unsafe and illogical. “The problem with the current FBI building is that it’s too old, too small, and too exposed,” Moore said. “So what does the President do? He moves the FBI to another building that is too old, too small, and too exposed. Trump’s actions aren’t just illegal, they lack common sense.”
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy, whose county joined the lawsuit, said the project would bring transformative development to the region. “Landing a federal agency like the FBI has always been a catalyst for major economic growth,” she said. “We want the same opportunity in Prince George’s County, and we earned it.”
The lawsuit seeks to block the administration from proceeding with the Washington site, prevent diversion of project funds, and compel federal agencies to comply with congressional mandates limiting the selection to the three suburban sites.
Federal lawmakers from Maryland echoed the criticism. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks said the Greenbelt site meets the FBI’s highest security standards and was chosen through a fair process “that Republicans have arbitrarily overturned.” Rep. Steny Hoyer and Rep. Glenn Ivey both praised Brown and county officials for taking legal action, calling the administration’s decision a political overreach that undermines national security.
Maryland and Prince George’s County have pledged over $300 million towards enhancements in transportation and infrastructure in preparation for the FBI project.
The lawsuit claims that the Trump administration did not engage with Maryland officials as mandated by federal law and offered no rationale for bypassing the selection process. Additionally, the state and county argue that relocating the headquarters to the Reagan Building — a facility that is 30 years old and was never part of the options approved by Congress — breaches both legal statutes and the Constitution.
The administration has not yet responded publicly to the lawsuit.
