Overview
- State and county officials filed a federal suit seeking to block the Reagan Building plan, halt any diversion of congressionally appropriated money, and force compliance with statutory site limits.
- Greenbelt was chosen by the GSA in 2023 from three congressionally specified sites after a multi-year process, with about $1.1 billion appropriated and roughly $350 million pledged by Maryland and Prince George’s County.
- The FBI and GSA announced in July that the headquarters would move to the Ronald Reagan Building, and a Senate committee advanced a renovation prospectus last week as the DOJ, FBI and GSA declined comment on the litigation.
- Plaintiffs allege the administration is unlawfully reprogramming more than $1 billion and bypassed required consultation, and they question whether a downtown site can meet the FBI’s highest security standards.
- Backers of the switch cite lower costs and reuse of federal space, pegging a Reagan Building renovation at about $1.5 billion versus roughly $3.5 billion for a new Greenbelt campus, as security reviews and final approvals remain unresolved.