Maryland is preparing for a courtroom fight against President Donald Trump’s administration over the FBI’s future home.
The state’s Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the suit Thursday against the Trump administration after it scrapped plans to move the bureau’s headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland, and opted instead to keep it in Downtown D.C.
Maryland leaders have been crying foul since the Trump administration formally announced its plan in July to move the FBI across the street to the Ronald Reagan Building, ignoring the site selection process of Congress and the General Services Administration, and the fact that Congress had already appropriated funds toward the Greenbelt relocation.
“The Trump administration is attempting to unlawfully reprogram and transfer over $1 billion in funds that Congress designated specifically for the Greenbelt project,” Brown said during a news conference Thursday.
In 2022, Congress directed the GSA to choose between Greenbelt and Landover in Maryland, and Springfield, Virginia. The GSA selected Greenbelt in November 2023. In addition to the money Congress set aside, the state of Maryland and Prince George’s County both pledged a combined $350 million to support the project, Brown said.
“They violated explicit congressional directives that limited site selection to the three authorized locations. They ignored federal requirements to consult with state and local government, and they acted arbitrarily and capriciously by abandoning years of careful planning without explanation or justification.”
In his lawsuit, Brown is asking the court to stop what he called the unlawful selection of the Reagan Building, and to prevent Congress from diverting appropriated funds.
“Maryland, we played by the rules. We won the project fairly. And we will not let this administration steal jobs and opportunities from Prince George’s County and Maryland.”
Just last week, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved the plan to move the FBI to the Reagan Building. The committee’s plans have not gotten full congressional approval yet.
The Trump administration said in July moving the FBI to the Reagan Building, instead of constructing a new facility in Greenbelt, would save taxpayers money.
In response to a WTOP request for comment on the lawsuit, the GSA said it does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Maryland and Prince George’s County leaders said the federal government is ignoring security concerns and needs of the nation’s primary federal law enforcement agency — needs the Reagan Building doesn’t meet that the new Greenbelt site would.
“The problem with the current FBI building is that it’s too old, too small, and too exposed. So what does the President do? He moves the FBI to another building that is too old, too small, and too exposed,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. “Trump’s actions aren’t just illegal, they lack common sense. And his foolishness will put law enforcement in jeopardy.”
In a statement last week, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, also expressed concerns about moving ahead with the proposal with “no completed security plan, and an incomplete cost assessment.”
Brown’s lawsuit also alleges the Trump administration did not consult Maryland at all in its decision, which Brown’s suit says harms Maryland by denying it and Prince George’s County significant economic benefits, jobs and development opportunities.
The Baltimore Sun first reported state officials’ plan to sue the Trump administration.
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