Maryland and Prince George’s County will sue the Trump administration for their “unlawful” attempts to prevent the construction of the FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, Democratic leaders announced Thursday.
The federal General Services Administration selected Greenbelt as the location for the new headquarters in November 2023 after more than a decade of discussion. But Trump announced in July that he intends to keep the FBI in Washington, D.C., by relocating the headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building complex — which was not an option originally approved by Congress.
Maryland is suing on the grounds that Trump violated Congress’ decision, unlawfully re-allocated billions in funds and ignored the federal requirements to consult with state leaders, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a Thursday press conference
In 2022, Congress gave the General Services Administration three relocation choices: Greenbelt, Landover and Springfield in Virginia. The administration officially selected Greenbelt for its location, sustainability, cost and development flexibility, a news release from the administration read.
In July, the FBI stated that keeping the headquarters in Washington, D.C., would save money and time, despite U.S. Customs and Border Protection currently being housed in the Reagan complex.
“It’s about our public servants,” Gov. Wes Moore said in the Thursday afternoon conference, calling Trump’s plan illegal.
Moore said that the current headquarters lacks appropriate security measures, and is too small and exposed to ensure proper function. The chosen Reagan Building has the same issues, he said.
[U.S. senators advance plan to keep FBI in Washington, DC]
Brown said that Maryland had been working with federal partners for more than a decade to create a new headquarters when Trump shut the process down in 2017.
The project was revived by Congress in 2022, he said, providing the General Services Administration with the three location options. Between 2016 and 2024, Congress allocated more than $1.1 billion for the project. Prince George’s County contributed more than $100 million to the project, Brown added.
“Marylanders were counting on this project, Prince George’s County was counting on this project, local businesses were counting on this project,” Brown said. “We invested because the federal government said it was coming.”
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy emphasized in the press conference that the headquarters was set to be the largest single economic development project in the history of Prince George’s County. The relocation was set to bring in about $4 billion in economic benefits and more than 7,500 jobs— enough to alter the gross domestic product of the county.
The project would also give Prince George’s County the opportunity to have the best cybersecurity in the nation, Braveboy said on Thursday.
The lawsuit also alleges that Trump’s decision intends to harm Maryland by denying economic benefits expected by the state, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) wrote in a Thursday news release.
“So if Donald Trump thinks that we are going to roll over when he tries to make life worse for our law enforcement, he better think twice,” Moore said. “And we’ll see him in court.”
