CNN
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The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is considering selling off hundreds of “non-core” federal properties, according to the General Services Administration.
“GSA’s decisive action to dispose of non-core assets leverages the private sector, drives improvements for our agency customers, and best serves local communities,” the agency said in a news release linking to a list of 440 properties that included the headquarters of the FBI and the Department Justice.
Later Tuesday, however, the list was scaled back to 320 properties, with all DC-based properties removed. By Wednesday, the list of federal buildings had been removed from GSA’s website, which now says the list is “coming soon.”
The agency said in a statement Wednesday the list was removed from its website due to “an overwhelming amount of interest.” GSA said it planned to republish the list “in the near future after we evaluate this initial input and determine how we can make it easier for stakeholders to understand the nuances of the assets listed.”
However, a source with knowledge of the situation said, “There was a miscommunication issue when posting the list. So they are pulling that back.”
The source said the list mistakenly included federal buildings the administration does not want to sell. According to the source, the list should have included three categories of properties: buildings identified as required for government operation, buildings identified for disposal and buildings whose status could change at a later date and could eventually be put up for sale.
“This is another example of rushing to get things out and posted without taking time to review what is actually being shared,” the source added.
The list of 440 “non-core” properties initially posted to the GSA website also included the departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development; Federal Trade Commission; GSA’s own headquarters; and the Old Post Office – where the Trump Organization had a 60-year lease until it sold it to the Waldorf Astoria hotel in 2022. Several of the buildings listed include staff from multiple agencies, such as the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, the biggest federal government building in the Southeast.
GSA said in its Tuesday release that most of the buildings flagged consist primarily of office space and that selling them will “ensure taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space.” It also claimed it could potentially save “more than $430 million in annual operating costs.”
The release said the agency has identified certain “core” assets “that are needed for critical government operations,” including courthouses and facilities key to national defense and law enforcement, which “will be retained for long-term needs.” However, multiple courthouses, including the US Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, were on the list.
Though many of the properties initially listed are in the Washington, DC, metro area, the list included buildings across the country, from Alaska to Florida.
The moves come as the Trump administration has ordered federal workers to return to their offices, marking an end to Covid-era rules allowing more flexibility. GSA on Tuesday did not specify where federal workers will go if their buildings are disposed of.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has been working with GSA on a plan to shed federal offices and collocate agencies, according to a source with knowledge of the plans. The goal is to have federal agencies share office space by connecting those that need workspace with those that have extra room.
A recently launched program called “space match” will allow agency heads throughout the government to fill out a Google form detailing how much space they need for their operations. The program is intended to offset the loss of workspace, but the source cautioned that closing these buildings could be expensive.
“The cost to close buildings and relocate is pretty high — you have to clean out the old building and all of its furniture, etc., which for a 500,000 (square foot) building is not cheap,” the source said. GSA will then have to find a place for displaced employees to go, which could mean purchasing new information technology infrastructure or possibly furniture.
The potential closure of the buildings echoes promises made during President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, where he vowed to move tens of thousands of federal jobs out of Washington, DC, and into “places filled with patriots who love America.”
And Trump pushed to relocate federal agencies in Washington during his first term, when the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management was moved from the capital to Grand Junction, Colorado.
As part of a plan to conduct mass layoffs across the federal government, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management have asked federal agencies for an outline of “a positive vision for more productive, efficient agency operations going forward.”
OMB and OPM have asked for agencies to submit proposals for office relocations away from the DC metro area and plans to reduce costs and improve efficiency through technology. Those are due no later than April 14 and should be implemented by September 30, CNN previously reported.
This headline and story have been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Kayla Tausche contributed to this report.
