US lists Department of Justice, FBI buildings in Washington for possible sale
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The FBI’s crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building are among buildings widely seen as outdated.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump’s administration said on March 4 it was considering selling some of the US government’s most iconic properties, including the headquarters of the Department of Justice, the FBI and the building that once housed Mr Trump’s luxury hotel.
The General Services Administration, which manages federal properties, said it had identified 443 properties totalling more than 80 million square feet that “are not core to government operations” and could be sold off.
The potential sell-off appears to be part of Mr Trump’s effort to slash the size of the federal government, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The downsizing drive has already led to 100,000 workers taking buyouts or being fired.
Mr Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) has claimed that it has saved US$105 billion (S$140 billion) so far, in part by cancelling leases on government properties. Budget experts have cast doubt on the reliability of Doge’s data.
The GSA said in a statement it could “no longer hope” to secure the money to bring the properties up to date and said a sale could potentially save more than US$430 million in annual operating costs.
Some of the buildings on GSA’s list, such as the Old Post Office, which formerly housed the Trump International Hotel, are newly renovated. Others, such as the FBI’s crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building, are widely seen as outdated. The GSA said in 2023 it would build a new FBI headquarters in Maryland.
It was not clear how many of the buildings on GSA’s list will eventually be put up for sale, or what sort of price they might bring. GSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several agencies whose headquarters could potentially be sold off also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The list includes the headquarters for several major government agencies, including the Veterans Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of Labour, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
GSA’s own headquarters were also on the list.
The list includes skyscrapers in Chicago, Atlanta and Cleveland, as well as several Internal Revenue Service hubs that process tax returns.
The IRS said in an internal memo last week that it would sell those buildings starting in June, after the April tax filing season is complete. REUTERS
