Highway Robbery! Ernst Audits Discover Transportation Funds Paying for Empty Offices

WASHINGTON - Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the findings of two separate reviews, showing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars intended for transportation are instead being wasted on underutilized offices for bureaucrats around the country.

A staggering 89% of 189 buildings used by the Department of Transportation (DOT) are underutilized, costing $370 million in annual rental, operations, and maintenance spending, according to an investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO review was conducted at the request of Senators Ernst and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Another analysis by the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB), conducted at Ernst's request, found underutilized space in government buildings costs taxpayers $1.34 billion annually. Seven out of every ten desks in government office buildings are sitting empty. Two of the worst examples are DOT headquarters buildings in Washington, D.C.:

1. The Wilbur Wright Federal Building is only 16% occupied, putting taxpayers on the hook for $155,875 each year for every employee that actually does show up.
2. The Orville Wright Federal Building is only 29% occupied, so taxpayers spend $75,415 a year to support each employee working in the office. This is notably about 610% above commercial lease proxy rates.

Ernst's oversight has already produced results. Following her request for an investigation, DOT terminated nine office leases, saving taxpayers $3.6 million annually in rent.

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy is leading the effort to consolidate office space being paid for by the department, which was using just 14% of the available area in its headquarters during the Biden administration.

"Even after the Trump administration brought DOT back to work and began consolidating office space, nearly all the agency's buildings remain largely unused," said Ernst. "Spending more than $155,000 per employee for office space is highway robbery, especially when there is ample room in other half-filled buildings nearby. Hundreds of millions of dollars that DOT could be putting toward roads, bridges, highways, and airports are instead being wasted financing Taj Mahal buildings for bureaucrats. These roadmaps provided by GAO and PBRB pave the way for saving taxpayer dollars and downsizing the government. I appreciate Secretary Duffy's leadership, but Congress needs to remove the bureaucratic roadblocks causing delays and costing taxpayers. I will be offering an amendment to make the rubber hit the road on this process when the reconciliation bill comes to the Senate floor later this year. It's a simple concept: Use it orlose it!"

Background:

In December 2023, Ernst exposed how federal office buildings were virtual ghost towns with her naughty list that showed not a single federal agency was occupying even half its office space.

In 2024, Ernst released her "Out of Office" report revealing the cost and extent of abandoned and underutilized government buildings.

Ernst has led the call to sell off empty and expensive Washington buildings, and her FOR SALE Act would put six pieces of prime properties in the nation's capital on the auction block to generate $400 million or more in revenue, while also canceling costs, including $2.9 billion for overdue maintenance. Her DISPOSAL Act eliminates regulatory hurdles to fast-track the sale of unneeded federal buildings.

In March, Ernst joined Administrator Edward Forst to announce that the General Services Administration's (GSA) Regional Office Building in D.C. had been sold, saving taxpayers over $700 million.

In February, Ernst announced that the nearly empty USDA South Building is soon-to-be for sale, saving taxpayers $1.7 billion in repairs and operating expenses.

Every year, Washington pays out over $81 million maintaining underutilized offices, including nearly 7,700 vacant buildings and another 2,265 that are largely empty. GSA reported that deferred maintenance costs exceed $6 billion and will grow to $20 billion in five years.

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