The FBI’s longtime Washington headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, will be shut down permanently, according to FBI Director Kash Patel, ending decades of debate over what to do with one of the federal government’s most notorious office blocks.
Patel confirmed the decision in a Dec. 26 post on X, saying the bureau had finalized plans to relocate its headquarters workforce to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The move, he said, will save taxpayers billions and allow the transition to begin immediately.
“After more than 20 years of failed attempts, we finalized a plan to permanently close the FBI’s Hoover headquarters and move the workforce into a safe, modern facility,” Patel wrote. Taking style notes from the Commander-in-Chief himself, he then declared that nobody had been able to do what they had done. “Working directly with President Trump and Congress, we accomplished what no one else could.”
December 26: Shutting down the Hoover Building.
After more than 20 years of failed attempts, we finalized a plan to permanently close the FBI’s Hoover headquarters and move the workforce into a safe, modern facility. Working directly with President Trump and Congress, we…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 26, 2025
The Hoover Building, which opened in 1975, has long been criticized for aging infrastructure, security concerns and deteriorating conditions. According to WTOP, the structure has required extensive repairs for years, with repeated efforts to replace or relocate the headquarters stalling amid political disputes and ballooning costs. In short, it seems as if the aged infrastructure was a maintenance nightmare.
Patel said the previous plan would have left taxpayers paying nearly $5 billion for a new headquarters that would not open until at least 2035. That proposal was scrapped in favor of the Reagan Building, a federally owned complex located just blocks from the White House.
🚨 BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel Delivers on Promise J. Edgar Hoover Building to Shut Down Permanently!
Patel: “We’ve already redeployed over a thousand agents nationwide, pulling them from HQ along with intel analysts and support staff to bolster field operations across… pic.twitter.com/LJHNuoh2LJ
— 𝐿𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝒱 🥀 (@V_Lady2024) December 27, 2025
“Instead, we selected the already-existing Reagan Building, saving billions and allowing the transition to begin immediately with required safety and infrastructure upgrades already underway,” Patel wrote.
Once renovations are complete, most of the FBI’s headquarters workforce will move into the Reagan Building. Patel said remaining staff will continue the bureau’s push to place more personnel in field offices rather than concentrating them in Washington.
The decision marks a significant shift in how the bureau allocates resources, and it comes amid a broader re-evaluation of federal real estate under the Trump administration. Patel framed the move as part of a mission-focused reset. Patel’s announcement also comes mere days after he splurged money on fancy cars.
Kash Patel has embraced the Albanian state of mind by using taxpayers money to buy German cars https://t.co/fMXfzjnTjk
— T𑀣ᑏI 🇦🇱🇺🇸 (@RexKwonDo92) December 24, 2025
“This decision puts resources where they belong: defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and protecting national security,” he wrote. “It delivers better tools for today’s FBI workforce at a fraction of the cost.”
The announcement immediately drew attention beyond Washington. The Guardian noted that the Hoover Building has become a symbol not just of the FBI, but of Cold War–era federal architecture and the controversies tied to its namesake, former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
For years, lawmakers from both parties had criticized the building’s condition while disagreeing about if the FBI should move, and if so, where they should go to. Earlier relocation plans collapsed over cost overruns, suburban site selection, and resistance from Congress.
Patel’s announcement appears to cut through that impasse by avoiding new construction altogether. The Hoover Building, he said, will be “shut down permanently,” bringing an end to one of the longest-running infrastructure disputes in federal law enforcement.
