Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is on a mission to slash the federal government — and it eagerly touts its moves on social media.
A recent entry cited more than $100 million in savings from terminating hundreds of federal building leases. Yet it promised federal workers there would still be "plenty of available office space."
Some of those cancellations could affect public-facing services, like an Internal Revenue Service taxpayer assistance center in Parkersburg, W. Va.; the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Osage Agency in Pawhuska, Okla.; a Social Security office in Minot, N.D.; and a Farm Service Agency office in the heart of Hurricane Helene-struck western North Carolina.
These are just some of more than 1,000 properties leased or owned by the federal government that the Trump administration has marked for potential downsizing as it presses forward with plans to dramatically shrink its physical footprint in communities across the country.
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The government is preparing to shed up to a quarter of its 360 million square feet of real estate in the coming months, an NPR analysis of DOGE's "receipts" page of lease terminations and lists of possible cuts circulating at federal agencies found.
At the same time the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, is identifying property to divest, the agency has abruptly fired more than 1,000 workers and is targeting an overall 63% reduction in headcount at its Public Building Service division, according to multiple current and former GSA employees. They are among more than a dozen people who spoke to NPR for this story and requested anonymity because they fear speaking publicly would make them targets for reprisal from the Trump administration in their jobs and future employment prospects.
Some current and former GSA employees told NPR they think the firings are illegal and that the proposed cutbacks are indiscriminate.
"There's just been no time," said one GSA manager who was fired earlier this week. They said it appeared that the agency is just " cutting buildings and people without even, like, analyzing anything."
"All [job termination] notifications were conducted in accordance with [federal] policies and guidelines," a GSA spokesperson said in a statement to NPR. The spokesperson added that the potential property sales "will result in increased service quality to our customers and savings to the American taxpayer."
Like other aspects of the DOGE-inspired efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government in recent weeks, the process of cutting leases and identifying buildings that could be sold has been marked by confusion, errors and an ever-changing list of potential targets.
This week, the GSA even posted — then deleted — a list of "non-core" government buildings that could be sold, including federal courthouses, the headquarters of the Justice Department and the American Red Cross, and even the home of the GSA itself.
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It's not clear what the lease terminations and proposed building sales would mean for the services and activities carried out by affected agencies, such as Social Security and IRS offices where members of the public come for help.
GSA said it is exploring options "including public-private partnerships, ground leases, sale leasebacks, and interagency co-working agreements" in order to "optimize" the government's real estate portfolio.
That could mean that some agencies may not have to relocate — but the lack of information and clarity is leaving federal workers worried.
Shifting lists of properties targeted for cuts
According to DOGE's "wall of receipts," as of March 6 the GSA has moved to terminate roughly 750 leases covering around 10 million square feet — less than 5% of the government's total footprint.
These cuts include 61 IRS spaces, 47 with the Social Security Administration, several U.S. attorneys' offices and a nuclear waste storage facility in New Mexico.
A separate, overlapping list of Interior Department leases slated for termination — shared by a current employee at the agency — includes 25 Bureau of Indian Affairs offices and a Louisiana office housing two Interior bureaus that handle offshore energy projects.
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The administration is also considering terminating leases for properties housing vital weather forecasting services and fisheries operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to two former NOAA officials and a current NOAA contractor.
Like many other DOGE claims, the list of lease terminations on its website uses opaque methodology to generate apparently inflated savings numbers. By matching DOGE's data with federal lease inventory, the purported terminations appear to include some leases that the government does not appear to have the right to terminate yet, and some that were already set to end soon.
One that was already set to end: Atlanta office space provided to the late former President Jimmy Carter, who died at the end of last year, before President Trump took office and DOGE came into existence. The list claims more than half a million dollars in savings from that.
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to questions about how its lease savings are calculated or verified.
Beyond the lease terminations, a proposal to sell off federal buildings sent shockwaves through the government on Tuesday when GSA released a list of 443 properties it said it was looking to divest because they are "not core to government operations."
While a list of "core" properties shared with NPR by a GSA employee primarily included facilities on the U.S. southern border or for law enforcement work, the "non-core" list included federal courthouses, historic buildings, sprawling facilities in Indianapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, and the Washington, D.C., headquarters of agencies including the Justice, Agriculture and Labor Departments, and GSA itself.
Later on Tuesday, GSA pared the list down to 320 buildings — deleting many of the best-known buildings and D.C. properties — before removing it from the agency's website entirely without explanation.
GSA said in its statement to NPR: "Since publishing the initial list on March 4, 2025, we have received an overwhelming amount of interest. We anticipate the list will be republished in the near future after we evaluate this initial input and determine how we can make it easier for stakeholders to understand the nuances of the assets listed."
It added: "To be clear, just because an asset is on the list doesn't mean it's immediately for sale. However, we will consider compelling offers (in accordance with applicable laws and regulations) and do what's best for the needs of the federal government and taxpayer."
Public-serving IRS, Social Security and Indian Affairs offices could face disruption
While the lists of planned sales and lease terminations include high-profile properties in Washington, D.C., and underutilized office space, they also span facilities that provide crucial public services, including in rural and far-flung communities.
DOGE's lease termination list includes locations that house IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers, which offer in-person help to people with their taxes, as well as Social Security Administration offices providing public assistance. Additional Social Security offices appeared on GSA's list of "non-core" properties marked for potential sale.
"If they close field offices then it will be harder for beneficiaries to access services," said one senior SSA official. "If people can't get to the office because the closest one is too far away or supports so many people that you can't make an appointment, then you have been denied services."
SSA said in a press release this week that "space savings" were part of $800 million the agency has flagged for cost cuts this year. "Social Security remains committed to identifying more ways to save taxpayers money and implementing more solutions that free up frontline employees to help more customers," it said.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices targeted for lease termination include the Pawnee Agency, which serves around 7,200 members of four tribes in Oklahoma. Its work includes child welfare and real estate services. Also on the list is Oklahoma's Osage Agency which manages mineral, oil and gas leases on behalf of the Osage Nation.
"Indian Affairs provides direct, essential services to tribes and tribal members. These agencies are essential to providing efficient services," a BIA employee told NPR. "None of these agencies are close to other agencies. If they are closed, BIA would have to pay to relocate all of the employees."
The Department of the Interior is pushing back on attempted closures, particularly because most of its employees perform congressionally mandated work on the environment and conservation, according to two Interior employees. Were those facilities to be closed, they would need alternative space to complete that work and meet their legal requirements.
In a statement to NPR, an Interior spokesperson said the department and its bureaus "are committed to upholding federal responsibilities to communities and tribes. We are working with GSA to ensure facilities or alternative options will be available for the continued delivery of Interior services as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management."
GSA staff caught off guard by abrupt firings and real estate moves
NPR spoke to eight current and former GSA workers based around the country who said the breakneck pace of lease terminations and building sale proposals gives no evidence of a well-thought-out plan to target waste, fraud and abuse.
GSA, the largest landlord in the United States, is deeply embedded in the functioning of the rest of the federal government.
"If GSA is no longer able to service those spaces, those agencies then suffer, and those agencies work for the public," one of the GSA employees said.
By the time of publication, GSA's Public Building Service had already fired more than 1,000 permanent employees and probationary staff all across the country, according to workers who spoke to NPR.
Staffing cuts across GSA's 11 regions appear indiscriminate and, in some places, deep. That includes leaving just a skeleton crew in offices that serve the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast.
"We ask, like, 'How are they coming up with these buildings? How are they coming up with these RIF lists?'" the fired manager said. "And all our directors and supervisors can say is like, 'We don't know … we know as much as you know.'"
" It's just mind boggling," said Michelle Bercovici, an employment attorney who has been petitioning a government oversight agency to hire back thousands of federal workers.
Bercovici said the directive to fire employees seems to run counter to the agency's staffing and resource needs.
"This is not a case where you have Congress saying, 'Hey, agency, we are slashing your budget by 50% because you don't need these personnel, you're not doing these functions,'" Bercovici said. "I don't know if there's any rhyme or reason, and that's really unusual. Agencies have statutory functions they have to carry out, and agencies also do have reporting obligations to Congress."
Workers at GSA told NPR they are scrambling to reach their union representatives and calling lawyers to figure out if they have any recourse.
"I am trying to save every penny so I can pay rent in April," said another GSA worker who fears they will soon lose their job. "I went to a food bank last week so I could save more money."
Several GSA employees compared the destruction of their agency to being bought by a private equity firm, which are notorious for steep cost-cutting and selling off assets in pursuit of maximizing returns for investors.
The firings across the federal government are already being challenged in courts.
A judge ruled last week that the firing of thousands of federal workers who were on probationary status, which often refers to newer employees, was in fact illegal. That case is still playing out. Meanwhile, a federal oversight board this week ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to temporarily hire back more than 6,000 federal workers, finding reasonable grounds to believe the agency had acted illegally in terminating them.
Multiple GSA workers expressed concern that as large swathes of GSA are fired, from maintenance to safety workers, chronically underfunded federal buildings will fall further into disrepair, employees could get sick, and contractors working with GSA, including small businesses, won't get paid.
"These are the folks who actually turn wrenches. They flush buildings with air and water to make sure everything is fresh and healthy," said one of the GSA employees.
In its statement, GSA said the agency "will not only maintain facility services including repairs, maintenance, janitorial and security through our existing partners, but we will exceed the quality of service to enable our agency customers to fulfill their missions."
Firings and real estate changes raise red flags for security
GSA's role in managing federal buildings also includes managing extremely sensitive information, from floor plans and blueprints to network connections and private data on the employees who work in them. If that information were stolen or released, it could pose a serious threat.
"All these [fired] federal workers are vulnerable to be targeted [for recruitment] by God knows who, Russia, China, name a foreign adversary," one of the GSA employees told NPR. "They know how everything works."
In a press release on March 3, the GSA announced a program called "Space Match" that would help federal workers find co-working spaces in light of impending office closures. GSA Commissioner Michael Peters said the plan would help provide flexibility to staffers who are required to return to the office, while saving on rent and promoting collaboration across agencies.
The press release noted that agencies like the Department of Labor, the Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Environmental Protection Agency are already looking into participating in the initiative.
However, individual federal agencies and employees have unique security concerns when protecting data relating to everything from national security to private medical information. They have different classification systems and technical requirements for their workspaces, making it nearly impossible or at least very expensive to securely house them in co-working spaces.
"Federal spaces come with so many technical requirements, [identity verification] cards, pass codes," said the same GSA employee who noted that federal workers could be vulnerable to foreign recruitment. "They can't do that … agencies cannot work side by side. That's a pipe dream."
Methodology: NPR's data analysis of the federal government's real estate footprint included creating a database using the General Service Administration's Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties (IOLP) and Real Estate Across the United States (REXUS) data files as of Feb. 28. Then, NPR matched identifying data released by the Department of Government Efficiency about purported lease terminations, a list of proposed Interior Department terminations and GSA's initial and revised list of "non-core" buildings that could potentially be sold to calculate the impact of potential changes.
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