The Trump administration has announced the sale of 443 federal properties, including the headquarters of several major federal agencies such as the FBI, even as it requires federal employees to return to full-time office work.
The General Services Administration (GSA)—which oversees the federal government's real estate portfolio, contracts, and technology—outlined the plan in a news release on Tuesday, just hours before President Donald Trump was set to deliver his first address to Congress.
The GSA’s statement cited years of underfunding as the reason behind the move, arguing that many properties have become "functionally obsolete and unsuitable for use by our federal workforce."
"We can no longer hope that funding will emerge to resolve these longstanding issues," the statement added.
Many of the buildings identified for sale are on the National Register of Historic Places or have recently undergone extensive renovations. Some, like the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover Building, have been awaiting a suitable replacement for years.
The statement clarified that buildings essential for "critical government operations, such as courthouses, land ports of entry, and facilities critical to national defense and law enforcement," would not be included in the sale.
The list of non-core properties spans nearly every state and includes:
The 443 properties collectively account for nearly 80 million rentable square feet, with the government estimating the sales could save over $430 million in annual operating costs.
The list includes the headquarters of nearly every major federal agency, such as:
In addition to selling off federally owned properties, the GSA is also terminating leases for privately-owned buildings used by federal agencies.
The effort is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to reduce government spending, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a new agency closely affiliated with billionaire Elon Musk.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been laid off as part of these cost-cutting measures.
📷 FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk listens to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C., February 11, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
President Trump has set a mid-April deadline for federal agencies to submit relocation plans outside of Washington, D.C.
The move comes as hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been ordered back to in-person work under new administration policies.
When asked for comment, the White House referred inquiries to the GSA, which stated that the buildings up for sale "often do not provide federal employees the high-quality work environments they need to fulfill their missions."
The list of properties up for sale includes IRS service centers, Veterans Administration facilities, and Social Security Administration offices.
Many federal buildings serve as one-stop centers where multiple agencies operate under one roof. For example, the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in Boston, located next to Boston City Hall, houses:
With these properties set to be sold, the fate of thousands of federal employees and services across the country remains uncertain.
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