Trump Administration's 'Fire Sale' of Federal Buildings Sparks Controversy
Rep. Melanie Stansbury accused the Trump administration of hastily selling off federal properties in what she described as a ‘fire sale’ approach.
In a recent House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., criticized the Trump administration’s strategy for reducing federal real estate as a ‘fire sale’ aimed at slashing government waste. Stansbury, the ranking Democrat on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee, argued that the administration’s approach was more about generating funds for tax cuts than about efficient government management. She stated, “The Trump administration is currently taking a fire sale approach of looting the federal government and stripping it for parts to pay for tax cuts.”
The DOGE, in collaboration with the General Services Administration (GSA), has been working to ‘rightsize’ the federal real estate portfolio. Their efforts have led to significant savings, including nearly 700 lease terminations that eliminated 7.9 million square feet of office space, saving taxpayers approximately $400 million. According to testimony from John Hart, CEO of Open the Books, an additional $1 billion could be saved by not renewing expiring leases in 2027.
Despite these savings, Democrats, including Stansbury, have raised concerns about conflicts of interest, particularly involving Elon Musk, who leads DOGE. Stansbury accused Musk of using his position to secure lucrative contracts across federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and NASA, and suggested that his SpaceX subsidiary might replace federal employees with AI technology.
As of the latest report, DOGE claims to have saved Americans $140 billion, or about $870 per taxpayer, through their initiatives aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency.