Sen. Carper Commends Administration Progress on Federal Property Cost Savings

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, commended the Administration’s progress towards the President’s goal to eliminate billions in real estate costs by consolidating or selling off excess federal properties that are no longer needed. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced $3.25 billion in BRAC savings and $2.4 billion in non-BRAC savings, keeping the government on track to reach – and even exceed – the President’s goal of saving $8 billion in federal real estate costs by the end of 2012.

“When it comes to federal property management, it’s clear to me and others that we can get better results and save money,” said Sen. Carper. “Federal property management has been on the Government Accountability Office’s high-risk list every year since January 2003, in part due to the overwhelming number of unneeded and underutilized facilities held by federal agencies. Eliminating waste and achieving cost savings in this area must be a top priority, and it’s clear this Administration is taking this issue seriously. I commend the Administration for its remarkable progress and I am hopeful it will achieve – even exceed — its goal of saving $8 billion in federal property costs by the end of this year. But more work remains. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Administration to implement effective measures to dispose of unneeded buildings and reduce federal property costs, like those in my legislation, the Federal Real Property Asset Management Reform Act. Doing so will help save taxpayer dollars and make government work better for everyone.”

In March, Sen. Carper, along with Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced , S. 2178, the Federal Real Property Asset Management Reform Act, which would help facilitate the disposal of underutilized and unneeded federal property and establish a framework for federal agencies to better manage existing space in a more cost-effective manner.

For more information on the Office of Management and Budget’s announcement and progress, please visit: http://finance.performance.gov/initiative/manage-property/home and http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb.

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