Federal Judge Blocks Trump Plan To Shift FBI HQ To Reagan Building
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang on Monday, August 17, 2026, blocked the Trump administration's plan to relocate the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.[1]
Maryland's November 2025 lawsuit said the administration tried to "unlawfully sabotage" a 2023 plan in Greenbelt and divert more than $323 million that Congress had set aside for that project.[2] Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said the ruling "cleared the path back to Greenbelt" and pledged state funding to secure a new FBI headquarters.[2]
In July 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the agency would pursue the Reagan Building, calling it "the most cost-effective and resource-efficient way to carry out our mission." CBS News The Reagan Building had housed USAID until the agency's consolidation into the State Department in 2025, after which Customs and Border Protection took over the building's lease.[2]
The Greenbelt plan, approved in 2023 after more than a decade of state and county efforts, had received congressional funding that Maryland says the administration tried to redirect.[1]
Show source details & analysis (2 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang on Monday, August 17, 2026, blocked the Trump administration’s plan to relocate the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.
- The planned site, the Ronald Reagan Building, had previously housed USAID before USAID’s consolidation into the State Department in 2025, and Customs and Border Protection subsequently took over the Reagan Building lease.
- Maryland’s November 2025 lawsuit alleged the Trump administration tried to “unlawfully sabotage” the 2023 Greenbelt plan and divert more than $323 million that Congress had designated for that project.
- In July 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel publicly announced the agency would pursue moving to the Reagan Building, calling it “the most cost-effective and resource-efficient way to carry out our mission.”
- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said the ruling “cleared the path back to Greenbelt” after more than a decade of state and county efforts and pledged funding to secure the FBI headquarters.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS reports that the Trump administration’s plan, blocked by Judge Theodore Chuang on Monday, August 17, 2026, would have relocated the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., which previously housed USAID before its consolidation into the State Department in 2025.
- The article specifies that Maryland’s November 2025 lawsuit alleged the Trump administration tried to 'unlawfully sabotage' the 2023 Greenbelt plan and divert more than $323 million that Congress had designated for that project.
- CBS adds that in July 2025 FBI Director Kash Patel publicly announced a decision to pursue the Reagan Building move, describing it as 'the most cost-effective and resource-efficient way to carry out our mission.'
- The article notes that Customs and Border Protection took over the Reagan Building lease after USAID’s consolidation, providing additional context on current use of the site.
- CBS quotes Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown saying the ruling 'cleared the path back to Greenbelt' after more than a decade of state and county efforts and pledged funding to secure the FBI headquarters.