The District of Columbia is suing the federal government to stop the Department of Housing and Urban Development from moving its headquarters from D.C. to Northern Virginia.
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The city, represented by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, argues that “offices attached to the seat of government” must be located in D.C. unless authorized by Congress, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The District’s lawsuit is the second HUD has faced in the past month over its relocation, following a June 29 complaint from a group of local business owners who operate near HUD's current headquarters. In this latest lawsuit, the city argues the move could cost the city nearly $2M in annual sales tax revenue and that it would be detrimental to the vibrancy and businesses in Southwest D.C.
The dispute stems from HUD’s relocation, which is underway, from its owned 1968-era brutalist Robert C. Weaver Federal Building in Southwest D.C. to Alexandria, where it is displacing the National Science Foundation from its 2017-era leased home.
The GSA and HUD announced the move in June 2025, shortly after revealing plans to dispose of the 1.1M SF Weaver Building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The defendants in the case are HUD, the agency’s secretary, Scott Turner, the General Services Administration and its administrator, Edward Forst, as well as the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae, and its president, Joseph Gormley.
“HUD is complying with all applicable laws and regulations related to the move to Alexandria, including providing required information to Congressional appropriations staff,” a HUD spokesperson told Bisnow in an email.
“The Weaver Building has deteriorated beyond the point of cost-effective repair due to severe long-term infrastructure, safety, and operational challenges,” the spokesperson said. “This move is more than just a change of buildings – it’s a mission-minded shift that puts the health and well-being of HUD employees first while emphasizing HUD’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.”
A GSA spokesperson said in an email that the agency doesn’t comment on active litigation.
The District said in its complaint that so far, 80% of HUD employees have moved into the NSF’s Alexandria headquarters at 2415 Eisenhower Ave. As of 2025, 2,700 workers were based at the agency's D.C. headquarters.
The city says the move violates the Residence Act of 1790, which it says requires HUD to maintain its headquarters in D.C. unless approved by Congress.
It said no Cabinet agency has moved outside the District “without the express assent of Congress” and that for nearly 80 years all Cabinet agencies have been located in the city except for the Department of Defense’s Pentagon, which received approval for its move shortly before World War II.
The lawsuit cited three other agency moves outside D.C. that received the appropriate congressional approval: the CIA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The District also alleged that the HUD relocation was an arbitrary decision and that it violates national environmental and historic preservation laws.
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