OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:22 PM – Friday, December 26, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel has announced the permanent closure of the bureau’s headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.
Patel made the announcement in an X post on Friday, after previously vowing to close the Hoover building and reopen it as a “museum of the deep state.”
“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 accomplished what no one else could,” Patel wrote.
The J. Edgar Hoover Building has been considered problematic and unsafe for over two decades due to structural issues like sinking and leaks, outdated infrastructure, and a dysfunctional layout that no longer meets the bureau’s modern security needs.
“When we arrived, taxpayers were about to be on the hook for nearly $5 billion for a new headquarters that wouldn’t open until 2035. We scrapped that plan. 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. Once complete, most of the HQ FBI workforce will move in, and the rest are continuing in our ongoing push to put more manpower in the field, where they will remain,” he continued.
“This decision puts more resources where they belong: defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and protecting national security. It delivers better tools for today’s FBI workforce at a fraction of the cost,” Patel added.
“The Hoover Building will be shut down permanently.”
The FBI’s latest move aligns with President Donald Trump’s goals of increasing government efficiency by saving approximately $5 billion in taxpayer dollars while also pushing more agents towards work in the field, a core tenet of Patel’s FBI.
Prior to leading the FBI, Patel questioned the need for 7,000 agents to work at the Hoover Building rather than pursuing criminals in the field.
“I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one… and reopen it next day as a museum of the deep state,” Patel said in 2023. “And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals… What do you need 7,000 people there for?”
“What are all these people doing here? Looking for the next government promotion, looking for their next fancy government title, looking for their parachute out of government,” Patel added at the time.
In July, the FBI proclaimed that the Ronald Reagan Building complex “provides a world-class facility that supports the FBI’s critical mission and saves money for taxpayers.”
“This move not only provides a world-class location for the FBI’s public servants, but it also saves Americans billions of dollars on new construction and avoids more than $300 million in deferred maintenance costs at the J. Edgar Hoover facility,” stated General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Peters in July.
“We are proud to partner with Director Patel to drive efficiency and improve the quality of space for a productive workforce in service to national security and taxpayers,” he added.
The J. Edgar Hoover Building has served as the FBI’s headquarters since its inauguration in 1975.
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