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Billions of your dollars are being wasted on government buildings that are either mismanaged or not used at all
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I think something outrageous like clowns mind readers and -- guy and a hot tub and to get everyone's attention but the GSA and the federal government are wasting even more of your money on something else what is it.
What's costing you billions yes billions his script Jenkins with -- John Mica.
Throughout the federal government as the nation's largest asset holder -- nearly 900000.
Properties over three billion square feet.
-- never forty million acres of land.
But the fact is many of those properties are under utilized mismanaged or even were sitting -- costing the taxpayers.
Billions of dollars.
You don't have to look very hard in fact we're just a few blocks from the US capitol where this building behind me owned by the GSA.
He has been sitting empty for over five years.
Congressman John Mica but the transportation and infrastructure committee wants something done about.
Congressman where are we.
Well we're in an empty federal building minutes -- vacant for five years costing the taxpayer.
A lot of money and as you can see there's nobody here.
And in this particular building you -- -- -- 55 years.
Couldn't really -- wise is sitting empty and well if she's costing the people's building it's under the control of GSA.
And it's costing again not -- this building but across the country we're losing probably a billion dollars a year plus.
In assets that are sitting idol like this property.
And and what do you want don't want this part -- selling well in I get a little report.
We looked at them.
Some of the wasteful spending in the title of the report is a federal government must stop sitting on its assets and we're and one of the assets that were sitting on.
But if you look at this building and -- Their heart believe this or -- 141000.
Properties.
That -- across the country that the federal government controls.
That are either vacant or under utilized that's a lot of big bucks the GSA told me that they manage in the national capital region area here about a hundred million square feet.
In fairness to them it's not as you mentioned it's difficult it's going they can just walk out front and put -- for sale sign up.
They're now bureaucracy there's very solid six people.
-- people want to keep the things as the -- some people benefit by.
And this and that so there's the politics of that -- that's why we set up but.
Working with mr.
Denham is that it might cheer of the government to building subcommittee.
We and we set up a brat type commission which is talent we've done with access military property.
Or I get him as as -- we changes.
Operations for the military doing away with some of -- because the military can make decisions of what to do with the property.
So you're trying to streamline the process.
Absolutely you've got to do that so it's too full there's some things we can do to get the bureaucrats to move.
But also congressman I have to.
Actually fit to do everything moved.
Now this building.
Known as the cotton in -- 90000 square feet we're we're just blocks from independence avenue and in the National Mall properties real this is 90000 square feet.
But it's on one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the United States that.
Because almost to the mall in the nation's capital and it's under utilized it's been vacant for years.
And what why isn't it being news.
Well again people making decision sometimes congress gets in the mix but this is repeated over and over and has to stop.
When we've got seventeen trillion dollars in deficit and we've got assets that are valuable sitting here.
Congress has to take steps GSA has to take -- -- American people have to demand.
That these valuable assets be put to positive views and help us get rid of some of -- that.
And you mentioned the GSA's isn't just a darling but it's not just -- Jiabao and now I've got we've got.
900000.
Square feet just a few blocks from here that was leased by the Securities and Exchange Commission but no tenants.
Unbelievable but this is.
The tip of the iceberg.
We have a 400000.
Square foot old post office within -- next to it much.
We dragged the bureaucrats and when I became chairman it was freezing outside 38 degrees and we held a hearing there.
And that that -- building has been vacant for fifteen.
Years I know it's unbelievable but it's true.
Helping the problem is that we -- what are we -- -- really -- you know people got upset that guy in the hot tough being.
Can.
Las Vegas at that outrageous.
Convention.
But that's the tip of the iceberg.
This is where that the meat and potatoes this is where the lost to the taxpayers -- nobody in Washington has a business approach.
Would you would you sure any of your viewers turned their property over to the federal government to -- -- I don't think so.
When we talk about the cost it to the taxpayers with buildings like this.
What could actually be realistically -- isn't well -- hundreds of million of billions we're talking about billions.
And this isn't just.
Here.
You can go to Miami empty federal building we're building and courthouse a Los Angeles for orange we've got another going -- -- He got 30000 is the square feed them renovated building and and not my area down in Florida for that tip again this under utilized.
About across the country you have properties worth the biggest.
Property owner and landlord in the world the federal government is and the people of America who -- who on that and their assets.
Unfortunately are sitting -- -- -- say for comment and they referred us to the Office of Management and Budget.
Now OMB claims they are taking steps to cut wasteful spending and get -- an underutilized properties off the books.
They say in part we have aggressively cut excess real estate costs by over one point five billion.
And are on track to exceed the presence directed to save three billion by the end of the year.
Okay that's OMB's comments -- -- turn what's taken so long and how did get so out of control you heard the years that the -- congressman's talking about.
