US takes down list of federal properties for possible sale

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday (Mar 5) took down a directory of federal facilities it had listed for possible sale that included some of the US government’s most iconic properties.

The apparent change of course comes one day after the US General Services Administration (GSA) 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.

GSA did not explain why it took down the list. The agency said that it had received an “overwhelming amount of interest” and planned to release a new list in the near future.

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 centres were on the list, as was the Old Post Office, the historic building that once housed the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

Washington, DC mayor Muriel Bowser called the initial list “outrageous” and said any sale would need to be done in an orderly fashion.

“You cannot dump buildings on the market without preparation or a plan, because it would be antithetical to making this the most beautiful capital city in the world,” she said at a briefing.

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.

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Trump seeks to put 443 federal properties up for sale

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) has said it has saved US$105 billion so far, in part by cancelling leases on government properties. Budget experts have cast doubt on the reliability of Doge’s figures. REUTERS