A powerful Senate committee voted to block President Trump's relocation of the FBI headquarters to a new building in Washington, D.C.

It's a win for Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, who pushed to keep the new location in his state of Maryland. The vote was 15-14, with Republican Lisa Murkowski (Ak.) breaking the tie.

The current headquarters, the concrete brutalist eyesore known as the J. Edgar Hoover Building, is falling apart. President Trump wants to move the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building, a few blocks down the street from its current location in downtown D.C.

Trump's FBI move blocked

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to adopt Van Hollen's amendment, which forces Trump to use $500 million in funding on construction in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"What we’re asking here, is that the committee on a bipartisan basis not allow the administration to rescind — effectively — funds that we have on a bipartisan basis provided,” Van Hollen said.

The site selection had been a political tug-of-war between Maryland and Virginia, both Democratic states neighboring D.C. The FBI investigated conflicts of interest at the General Services Administration, which selected the Greenbelt location in 2023.

The official who approved the decision previously worked for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which owns the Greenbelt site.

The Biden administration's emphasis on "equity" influenced the GSA's decision to build in Greenbelt, a predominantly black community in Prince George's County. At the time, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) said moving to Greenbelt would rectify Hoover-era "racism" at the FBI.

Safety concerns

Van Hollen has insisted the Greenbelt plan is final, claiming Trump's diversion of funds is "unauthorized" and suggesting the Ronald Reagan Building isn't safe, even though Republicans note foreign presidents and dignitaries regularly visit. The building was recently occupied by USAID, which Trump effectively dismantled.

Former GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Dan Mathews said that Trump's plan to use an existing, newer building is cheaper, and perfectly legal.

"Typically, when Congress appropriates money to GSA, they’ll appropriate it to a broad account — a construction account — and they’ll earmark it for a particular project,” Mathews told WTOP. “But, at the same time, Congress includes a provision that says you can move the money between projects within this account, you only have to come back and basically request permission from the Appropriations Committee to do that.”

The crime rate in Greenbelt is relatively high, and it has increased 80% over the past decade. 

While Democrats insist Greenbelt is the best, most cost-effective location, it's obvious that corrupt D.C. politics is playing a role here.

Still, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in blocking the Trump plan, questioning the depth of analysis that went into it.

“My understanding is that this has been a decision that was made just very recently,” Murkowski said. “So I, for one, would like to know that this analysis has actually been going on for more than just a couple months, that there’s actually been that effort to ensure that we’re going to move forward.”