Public Buildings & Office Space Reforms
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over public buildings, federal real estate programs and the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the General Services Administration (GSA), which is the civilian landlord of the federal government. This includes the authorization and oversight of planning, site and design, construction, acquisition, and renovation of public buildings, courthouses, and border facilities, and the leasing of space for federal employees.
For years, too much of the taxpayers’ money has been wasted on the inefficient use of federally owned public buildings – from underutilized office spaces to federal properties that sit empty but cost money to maintain.
As part of the Committee’s work overseeing federal estate programs, the Committee, led by Chairman Sam Graves and Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Chairman Scott Perry, has held hearings to examine the government’s real estate portfolio and utilization of federal office spaces. This oversight activity led to Committee members introducing legislation to reduce waste in federal real estate and the utilization of office space, and to keep federal buildings safe.
S. 4367, Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-272), which was signed into law in January 2025, included a number of provisions – first introduced by T&I Committee Members as stand-alone legislation – to reform federal real estate and ensure it works for the American taxpayer.
These new public buildings and office space reforms, provided under P.L. 118-272, provide the Trump Administration with important tools and authorities to help right-size the federal real estate portfolio and save billions of dollars for the taxpayer.
Additional Information:
Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 Bill Text
2023 Government Accountability Report on Federal Property Report Text
Press Releases:
February 7, 2025: House & Senate Committee Leaders Highlight Cost-Saving Public Buildings & Federal Office Space Reforms in Letter to Trump Administration
January 6, 2025: Reforms to Reduce Waste in Federal Office Space Utilization Signed into Law
December 10, 2024: House Approves Water Resources Development Act, Sending Bill to Senate for Final Approval
December 3, 2024: Graves, Larsen, Carper, Capito, Announce Agreement on Water Resources Development Act of 2024
September 18, 2024: Committee Approves 29 Measures in Wide- Ranging Markup
March 22, 2024: House Approves T&I Bills to Strengthen America’s Maritime Supply Chain, Address Cost Escalations of GSA Projects, & Improve Public Safety at Federal Buildings
March 12, 2024: House Approves Bill to Improve Utilization of Federal Office Space
March 11, 2024: House Approves Bills to Spur High-Speed Broadband Projects, Reduce Waste in Federal Office Space & Improve Disaster Programs for People with Disabilities
November 15, 2024: T&I Committee Approves Slate of Bills to Improve Usage of Federal Office Space, Emergency Preparedness and Response
November 8, 2024: T&I Members Introduce Bills to Reduce Waste in Federal Office Space and Improve Building Security
July 13, 2023: GAO Report Shows Extreme Underutilization of Federal Office Space
Committee Activity:
July 23, 2024: Examining the Effectiveness of the Federal Protective Service: Are Federal Buildings Secure?
April 10, 2024: From Headquarters Building to Field Offices: Examining the FBI’s Real Estate Needs and Strategy
March 6, 2024: Letters to FPS and GSA on Public Safety Impacts on Space Utilization
December 12, 2023: Ensuring Transparency in the Federal Government: An Examination of GSA’s Site Selection for the FBI Headquarters
July 13, 2023: When the Lights Are On but No One’s Home: An Examination of Federal Office Space Utilization
March 22, 2023: Roundtable on the State of Federal Estate
