Maryland and Prince George's County have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to keep the FBI headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., instead of moving it to Greenbelt, Maryland. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for Maryland, claims the administration's action is illegal and sabotages a multiyear collaborative effort to relocate the facility to Greenbelt.
The suit alleges that the Trump administration unlawfully diverted funding that Congress designated for the Greenbelt project and instead plans to use it for renovation of the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington for the FBI. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown stated, "We are asking the court to stop the unlawful selection of the Reagan Building, prevent the diversion of congressionally appropriated funds and ensure the federal government, the Trump administration, follows the law."
State and county officials have been advocating for the FBI to move to Greenbelt for over a decade, based on careful study and debate. However, the decision was reversed in a matter of weeks, seemingly on the president's whim. The lawsuit contends that Congress allocated more than $1 billion for Greenbelt, not the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, which was not on any potential list of sites until July 1, when it was announced as the new home of the FBI.
This legal action marks the latest chapter in the ongoing dispute between Maryland officials and the Trump administration over the FBI headquarters relocation. The outcome could have significant implications for the region's economic development and the allocation of federal funds.
