U.S. Senator Joni Ernst announced on Mar. 25 that the U.S. General Services Administration’s Regional Office Building in Washington, D.C., has been sold, resulting in taxpayer savings of over $700 million.
The announcement highlights efforts to reduce government spending by selling off unused federal properties. The building had been vacant for some time, but taxpayers continued to pay maintenance and required updates.
“After years of working to put empty and expensive federal buildings up for sale, today, the GSA Regional Office Building is officially sold!” Ernst said. “Even though this building has been vacant, the American people have still been footing the bill. With this sale, we are saving Americans over $205 million and taking an additional $500 million in required updates off taxpayers’ tab. I’m thankful Administrator Forst and the Trump administration are putting taxpayers first. We are doing something today that rarely happens in Washington, downsizing both the cost and actual size of the government.”
According to Ernst’s office, every year more than $81 million is spent maintaining underutilized offices across Washington, which includes nearly 7,700 vacant buildings and another 2,265 that are largely empty. The General Services Administration reported last year that deferred maintenance costs exceed $6 billion and could grow to $20 billion within five years.
Ernst has a history of advocating for fiscal responsibility as part of her platform when she became Iowa’s first woman elected to federal office according to her official website. She served over 23 years in the Iowa Army National Guard with service during Operation Iraqi Freedom according to her official website.
In recent years, Ernst released reports highlighting unoccupied federal office space and called for legislation such as her FOR SALE Act and DISPOSAL Act aimed at accelerating sales of unneeded government buildings.
Beyond her legislative work on property management issues, Ernst assists Iowans with matters involving Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits, immigration issues and military affairs according to her official website. She grew up on a family farm in Montgomery County where values like hard work were emphasized according to her official website, earned degrees from Iowa State University and Columbus State University according to her official website, serves on multiple Senate committees according to her official website, and made history as the first female combat veteran elected to the United States Senate according to her official website.
Looking ahead, advocates say further sales could continue reducing costs related to unused federal properties while potentially generating additional revenue.
