GSA’s secretive real estate purge frustrates Congress

GSA's abrupt release—and subsequent removal—of a federal building disposal list has ignited bipartisan concern in Congress, highlighting tensions over the agency’s rapid approach to real estate reform, reports the Washington Business Journal.

During a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing on 5 March 2025, lawmakers expressed frustration over GSA’s handling of more than 400 federal properties identified for potential disposal, including two Cabinet-level headquarters and the FBI building. The list, published on 4 March 2025 and quickly yanked offline, caught both agency heads and lawmakers off guard, raising questions about transparency.

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ), the panel’s ranking member, accused GSA of skipping key oversight steps. “Congress gave GSA steps one through five, but GSA is moving from step one directly to step five,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), criticizing the agency’s aggressive lease terminations and property sales.

Republicans, however, were largely supportive of the agency’s broad-strokes approach. Subcommittee chair Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS) praised GSA for taking “prompt action” to eliminate wasteful spending on underutilized buildings. Still, some GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), were frustrated by learning about properties in their districts from media reports rather than GSA itself.

Adding to the controversy, Public Buildings Service Commissioner Mike Peters accepted an invitation to testify at the hearing but later backed out without explanation. GSA declined to comment on his absence.

The agency later issued a statement clarifying that inclusion on the list did not mean immediate sale, adding, “We anticipate the list will be republished in the near future.” But for now, lawmakers and stakeholders remain in the dark.