Ranking Members Morelle, Padilla Secure Reversal on Damaging Plan to Close Federal Buildings With Congressional Offices
Morelle and Padilla: “We are relieved that GSA and DOGE have heeded our strong objections and reversed course”
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Joe Morelle (N.Y.-25), Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, sent a follow-up letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) welcoming its abandonment of joint efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cancel leases or sell federal buildings that host Congressional or other Legislative Branch offices.
“Members of Congress utilize offices across the country to carry out their constitutional duties within their home states and districts,” wrote the lawmakers. “We reiterate that closing facilities that host Congressional offices and forcing them to relocate would directly interfere with Congress’s constitutional duties, pose significant security risks, and cause disruption to essential constituent services. We are relieved that GSA and DOGE have heeded our strong objections and reversed course.”
Trump’s GSA failed to respond to the lawmakers’ March 7 letter and still refuses to be transparent or accountable to Congressional oversight over these potential plans to cancel leases and sell off federally owned facilities.
“This lack of responsiveness to Congress is unacceptable. GSA is funded and overseen by Congress and is accountable to the American people and their duly elected representatives in Congress,” wrote the lawmakers. “A lack of transparency, combined with uncoordinated and chaotic policy announcements and execution, is the opposite of ‘government efficiency.’”
The lawmakers also condemned the sweeping firings of GSA staff for entire regions and of GSA’s Congressional Support Program staff, who are critical to establish and maintain in-state Congressional offices. While the plans to sell off federally owned buildings have been called off, these offices need a strong workforce to maintain essential operations.
“DOGE and GSA have continued their indiscriminate firing of GSA Congressional Support staff and regional building management staff, leaving dozens of federal buildings with Congressional tenants without adequate support,” continued the lawmakers. “DOGE and GSA should similarly reverse course on these untargeted and short-sighted staff reductions that risk disrupting congressional operations.”
Full text of the letter is available here.
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The Committee on House Administration’s jurisdiction includes federal elections, House operations, Capitol Complex security, and Legislative Branch agencies such as the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and Government Publishing Office.