Hundreds of federal properties marked for sale by Trump officials.
By Olivia Peters
On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced a plan to sell hundreds of federal properties deemed “not core to government operations”.
Officials at the General Services Administration, the government agency that oversees the federal government’s real estate portfolio, at first announced they had recognized 440 properties that could be “disposed of” to ensure “taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space.”
The list was trimmed down to 320 properties by Tuesday evening, removing many high-profile buildings originally named on the list, such as the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building and the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the FBI headquarters.
A spokesperson for the agency has yet to comment on why 120 properties were removed from the list.
The shortened list still names several buildings used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration offices.
In New York City, offices used by the U.S delegation to the U.N. and offices for federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York and the IRS were named on the list.
Federal office towers in Chicago and Boston were also named. The Chicago tower includes more than 1 million square feet and outposts of the IRS and Drug Enforcement Administration. The Boston building houses the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Labor Department, and others.
Both federal office towers also house the offices of U.S senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Dick Durbin of Illinois.
In a statement, Warren spoke about the list, saying, “This plan raises serious concerns. As Donald Trump and Elon Musk dismantle our government, piece by piece, and sell it for parts, it’s the seniors relying on Social Security, the veterans looking for health care, and entrepreneurs applying for small business loans that are paying the price.”
It remains unclear exactly what buildings will be sold and how quickly the government will be able to sell them.
This move has begun to raise concerns over how the offloading of these buildings could affect government services as many federal workers have been ordered to return to the office.
The selling of these properties advances Elon Musk’s plan for government overhaul known as the Department of Government Efficiency, which has focused on eliminating “underutilized” office space.
Denise Maes, a regional administrator for the General Services Administration under the Biden administration, has voiced her concerns about the list saying, “I don’t know how much thought is going into this. It’s just a wrecking ball in getting rid of things.”
She further explained saying it did not seem rational for the administration to sell off so many office buildings while also asking federal employees to return to the office.
The General Services Administration said they have also identified necessary buildings, including courthouses, land ports of entry, among other buildings crucial for national defense and law enforcement.
In a statement, the agency said the selling of the 320 listed properties could amount to $430 million in annual operating costs saved.