# Trump administration removes list of 443 buildings targeted for sale after backlash

## Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

WASHINGTON –  Wednesday abruptly removed an inventory of 443 federal properties highlighted by some of the federal government's most iconic buildings that had been listed for potential sale the previous day.

The online list was initially attached to a news release Tuesday outlining plans for "decisive action to dispose of non-core assets" and singling out federal buildings that had become "functionally obsolete and unsuitable for use by our federal workforce"

But on Wednesday, the General Services Administration's "non-core property list" was blank, with a new headline that read, "coming soon."

"We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties, for disposal," the updated page reads.

"Since publishing the initial list on March 4, 2025, we have received an overwhelming amount of interest," she said. "We anticipate the list will be republished 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. As we stated in our press release, 'GSA will continuously review and update the list of non-core assets.'"

Selling off underutilized federal properties is an idea pushed by billionaire tech entrepreneur and senior White House advisor Elon Musk, who oversees the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, which has worked aggressively to cut federal spending and terminate federal workers.

Yet the push to sell federal buildings comes amid President ’s orders for all federal employees to return to their offices after some employees have spent many pandemic-era years working remotely.

Many buildings previously identified by the GSA across the nation are on the National Register of Historic Places or have recently undergone massive renovations. The list included the headquarters of nearly every major federal agency including the Robert F. Kennedy building in Washington, which houses the Department of Justice. Occupants of some facilities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington, have waited for years for congressional approval for a suitable replacement for their headquarters.

Democrats in Congress demanded an immediate explanation from the GSA this week about how the buildings were selected and why the agency didn't follow its own process of seeking public input about what the loss of a federal building would mean for the community and announcing a plan to mitigate any harm before announcing the buildings were for sale.

In  Tuesday, Minnesota Democratic U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith insisted on an explanation for why the executive branch didn't follow the normal process, saying it "appears to fail to meet any of these standards for good governance."

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, , said it "was not aware" its headquarters in Woodlawn, Maryland, , and several of the agency's regional offices would be included on a list of properties for possible sale.

"We didn't submit or approve any of our current office locations being on this list," the email reads. "This list has been removed from the GSA's website and we are in active discussions with (the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to ensure we have the facilities we need to return to the office in-person and continue performing our critical mission."

In a statement Tuesday, the GSA said it identified "certain core federally-owned assets" critical for government operations that would be retained, such as courthouses, land ports of entry, and facilities that are critical to national defense and law enforcement.

"We can no longer hope that funding will emerge to resolve these longstanding issues," the statement said, adding that the GSA will consider divestment from government ownership "in an orderly fashion to ensure taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space."

Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

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