The federal government will sell the Agriculture South building in Washington, D.C., the General Services Administration and the Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday.
The GSA added the USDA headquarters building on the National Mall to its list of federal assets tagged for accelerated disposition as it seeks to expedite the building’s sale to offload what it calls a real estate “burden” for federal taxpayers.
“This is a long overdue move to protect American taxpayer dollars from being wasted on expensive real estate inside the Washington, D.C. area when our government should be closer to the farmers and ranchers we serve,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
The Trump administration agencies said that the once flagship office space for federal workers is now over 85% vacant. Rollins announced last July that the department would relocate over half its Washington workforce to five regional hubs as tens of thousands of employees elected to resign voluntarily.
“There is a $1.6 billion backlog in delinquent maintenance. It is simply unacceptable to put these costs on the taxpayer,” Rollins said Wednesday.
The USDA is relocating its employees to Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City.
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Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who has been a staunch advocate in Congress for the sale or lease of federal buildings to the private sector, celebrated the announcement on X. She posed with a sign reading “For Sale by Owner: Uncle Sam” in front of the federal building on the National Mall.
The GSA said the USDA’s “average utilization” will increase from 15% occupancy in its Ag South building to 80% in its new locations.
