President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly considering selling more than 400 government properties, including headquarters for several federal agencies.
The U.S. General Services Administration published a list of 443 “non-core” properties on Tuesday.
‘GSA will consider non-core assets for divestment.’
The website stated, “We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties for disposal. Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions.”
“The list below includes properties designated for disposal. We will update it as assessments progress,” it added.
The list named federal government properties in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
The agency’s list included the headquarters buildings for the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the GSA. It also included buildings for the American Red Cross and the Office of Personnel Management.
The GSA estimated that selling the properties — totaling nearly 80 million square feet — could save American taxpayers over $430 million per year in operating costs.
Michael Peters, the commissioner of the Public Buildings Service, told Bloomberg, “Just because something is on the non-core list doesn’t mean it’s for sale by any means.”
“But if someone put an offer on the table, we would evaluate it,” he added.
Peters noted that the maintenance on some of the listed properties has been neglected.
“The deferred maintenance is reflected in the condition of these buildings. You know, if you toured many of them, you wouldn’t want to be there with your dog, much less with your work environment,” he told Bloomberg.
Signaling a potential change of plans, the Associated Press reported that the GSA’s properties list was removed from its website by Wednesday morning.
As of Wednesday afternoon, a live version of the website no longer displays the properties. However, an archived version of the webpage still lists 443 buildings.
It is unclear why the list was removed from the site.
The GSA did not respond to a request for comment from the AP.
However, a Tuesday press release on the agency’s website reads, “GSA’s Public Buildings Service’s (PBS) foundational mission is to deliver cost-effective workspace solutions for its federal agency customers, enabling them to fulfill their missions for the American taxpayer. This requires providing functional facilities to meet the needs of our federal agency customers at the best possible value.”
“PBS has identified certain core Federally-owned assets within its portfolio that are needed for critical government operations, such as: courthouses, land ports of entry, and facilities critical to our national defense and law enforcement. These core assets are intrinsically significant to the mission of the federal government and will be retained for long-term needs,” the statement continued.
“GSA will consider non-core assets for divestment from government ownership in an orderly fashion to ensure taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space, or the significant maintenance costs associated with long-term building ownership — potentially saving more than $430 million in annual operating costs,” the agency stated.
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