Press Releases

The House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets, of which Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) is a member, Friday held a hearing on vacant federal properties.

Grothman questioned government officials about the excessive number of properties owned by the United States government, specifically the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and how best to get rid of said properties so they don’t continue to drain taxpayer money.

Excerpts of Grothman’s Questioning:

“If what we’re told here is right, we have about 7,000 federal properties that are unutilized or underutilized.

“And how many of those buildings are just, in essence, abandoned? Every year, the properties drop because they’re not keeping up the electrical or even repairing the windows. Does anyone have an opinion on that?

“Is it unusual that we have building that we just let the windows break and the rain come in?

“How long does a building have to be vacant before it’s determined we better sell this thing?

“Once it’s determined we better get rid of a building, how long does it take to get rid of it?”

Background:

The federal government owns the largest amount of real property, or property that has been legally defined and can be improved by human effort, in the U.S. The USDA owns a large amount of this real property, and the property’s operating costs exceed $18.7 billion.

Currently, federal agencies are required to dispose of excess property, but there are roadblocks to disposal including costs or preparing properties and environmental considerations among others.

The OGR Committee passed the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (H.R. 4665) earlier this year to identify cost-cutting opportunities for the federal government to dispose of portions of its real property.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is serving his first term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.