Trump admin hit with $461M lawsuit as embassy fight started under Biden comes back to haunt State Dept
FIRST ON FOX — The latest lawsuit launched against the Trump administration seeks to recover more than $461 million after the State Department directed a longtime embassy builder to continue...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX — The latest lawsuit launched against the Trump administration seeks to recover more than $461 million after the State Department directed a longtime embassy builder to continue construction projects worldwide through the COVID-19 pandemic. B.L. Harbert International, which has built dozens of U.S. embassies and consulates over more than two decades, reached a $370 million settlement with the State Department to handle resulting claims — but the compnay claims the deal was reversed after current political leadership intervened. The builders are now seeking to recover lost funding through suing the Trump administration, and filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims , Fox News Digital first learned. The complaint covers 12 diplomatic construction projects across four continents, including facilities in Turkey, Iraq, Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Central America. The company alleges career State Department officials reached the $370 million agreement in September 2025, but the government paid just $501,636 before backing out. Harbert claims political leadership "inserted themselves into the process after a settlement was reached" and that the decision to abandon it "came from the top." "We did not want to take this step. The U.S. Government is an important partner, and we are proud of the work we do together to advance America's interests and protect Americans serving overseas," Charles Bohn, president of BL Harbert's International Group, said in a statement. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNCOVERS $1.2B IN SUSPECTED COVID CONTRACT FRAUD TIED TO BIDEN-ERA SPENDING "But we have a responsibility to our employees and to the future of that mission. We kept our commitment under extraordinarily difficult conditions. We are asking the government to keep its commitment to us." Harbert is one of a small pool of U.S. contractors capable of building highly secure diplomatic facilities overseas — work that requires specialized security clearances, vetted…