Sen. Carper Commends Administration for Ongoing Commitment to Improve Federal Property Management

WASHINGTON — Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, commended the Obama Administration’s continued commitment to improve federal property management. The new White House policy directives, the National Strategy for Real Property and the Reduce the Footprint, charge agencies to implement policies to improve property management, consolidate government office space, and dispose of unneeded buildings.

Today’s policy initiatives build on the Administration’s Freeze the Footprint policy directive, which directed federal agencies  to develop plans to restrict the growth in office and warehouse inventories, improve the management of the properties that they own or lease, and eliminate those assets that they no longer need. Today’s initiatives take those efforts a step further by asking agencies to reduce, rather than freeze, the size of their assets.

“Taxpayers should not have to pay for the government to lease or own buildings that it does not need,” Sen. Carper said. “Over the past few years, the Obama Administration has seized the potential to reduce waste and achieve billions in savings by encouraging federal agencies to improve the way they manage federal property. Today, the Obama Administration is asking agencies to go a step further and take a hard look at the properties or assets the government actually needs and the properties that could be consolidated, closed, or put to better use. I commend the Administration for its continued commitment to improving property management and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and other federal agencies to ensure these meaningful policies are fully implemented.”

Sen. Carper has been a leader in the ongoing effort to encourage the federal government to better manage its real estate portfolio. Last Congress, he introduced bipartisan legislation that would assist federal agencies in improving the management of federal real property by establishing a framework for federal agencies to better manage existing space in a more cost-effective manner, and by establishing a pilot program to expedite disposal of unneeded properties.
 

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