FBI Relocates Headquarters to Reagan Building, Canceling $5 Billion Maryland Project
Washington, Saturday, 27 December 2025.
By canceling a $5 billion construction project, the FBI will relocate to the existing Ronald Reagan Building, a strategic cost-saving measure that permanently shutters the historic J. Edgar Hoover headquarters.
Strategic Shift Finalized
On Friday, December 26, FBI Director Kash Patel formally announced the permanent closure of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, confirming the bureau’s headquarters will relocate to the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue [1]. This decision finalizes a strategic pivot from the previously approved $5 billion construction project in Maryland, a move the administration asserts will expedite the transition and save taxpayer funds [1]. While a specific timeline for the full migration remains undisclosed, the bureau has confirmed that infrastructure upgrades are actively underway to prepare the Reagan Building for its new tenants [1].
Political Friction and Legal Challenges
The relocation cancels a long-standing plan to build a new facility in Greenbelt, Maryland, a site selected by the General Services Administration (GSA) in 2023 following a 15-year selection process [1][2]. This reversal has triggered significant political and legal opposition; on December 25, Maryland officials filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging the Trump administration violated legal statutes by abandoning the Biden-era agreement without appropriate consultation [3]. The lawsuit further accuses the administration of diverting approximately $1 billion, originally allocated by Congress for the Greenbelt campus, to fund the retrofitting of the Reagan Building in downtown Washington [3].
Operational Restructuring and Fiscal Implications
Director Patel has framed the move as a necessary step to correct decades of inefficiency, stating the decision puts resources toward “defending the homeland” and “crushing violent crime” rather than costly construction [1]. The Hoover Building, which has served as headquarters since 1975, has suffered from structural degradation for over 20 years, with Patel characterizing the site as “unsafe” for the workforce as recently as May 2025 [2]. To address overcrowding and modernize operations, the bureau is simultaneously executing a decentralization strategy; Patel previously announced plans to redeploy approximately 10% of the Washington-based workforce—roughly 1,500 personnel—to field offices across the country, including a significant presence in Huntsville, Alabama [2].
Securing the Reagan Building
The Ronald Reagan Building currently houses multiple federal entities, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Commerce [1]. Space for the FBI was made available after the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was stripped of its lease in February 2025 and its functions consolidated into the State Department [4]. While critics have raised concerns that the multi-tenant commercial facility may not meet the FBI’s stringent security requirements, Patel has assured the public that work is being done to fulfill all necessary safety and infrastructure upgrades [1].