Shelley Moore Capito, Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Shelley Moore Capito, Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, along with several congressional colleagues, has addressed the Trump administration regarding cost-saving measures for federal real estate. The letter, directed to Russell Vought, Stephen Ehikian, and Michael Peters, highlights new provisions under the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA). These provisions aim to optimize the federal real estate portfolio and reduce taxpayer expenses.
The lawmakers emphasize the importance of immediate implementation of these reforms. They state that even if all federal employees returned to their offices, taxpayers would still incur costs for unused space. "Even if 100 percent of the Federal employees returned to the office, the taxpayer would still be paying for excess space," they noted.
The letter is a collaborative effort from Senator Kevin Cramer and Representatives Sam Graves and Scott Perry. It follows a 2023 Government Accountability Office review which revealed low utilization rates in agency headquarters buildings. On average, only 25 percent or less of these buildings were utilized.
The WRDA 2024 public buildings reforms are designed to address these inefficiencies by increasing office space utilization and disposing of unused properties.
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