By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday took down a directory of federal facilities it had listed for possible sale that included some of the U.S. government’s most iconic properties.
The apparent change of course comes one day after the U.S. General Services Administration had posted a list of 443 properties it said it might sell to save on maintenance costs.
On Wednesday, GSA’s “non-core property list” was blank. The web page said a list was “coming soon”.
“We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations,” it said. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
GSA’s list had included the headquarters of more than a dozen federal agencies, including the GSA’s own building. Skyscrapers in Chicago, Atlanta and Cleveland and major tax-processing centers were on the list, as was the Old Post Office, the historic building that once housed the Trump International Hotel in Washington.
The potential sell-off appeared to be part of Trump’s effort to slash the federal government, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The downsizing drive has already led to 100,000 workers taking buyouts or being fired.
Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” has said it has saved $105 billion so far, in part by cancelling leases on government properties. Budget experts have cast doubt on the reliability of DOGE’s figures.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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