The House of Representatives has passed the USE IT Act of 2023, a significant legislative move aimed at addressing the underutilization of federal office spaces. Spearheaded by Representative Scott Perry, the act mandates federal agencies to utilize at least 60% of their office space capacity or be compelled to sell off the underused properties. This legislation comes in response to findings that a substantial portion of government office space, equating to nearly 11,000 acres and costing taxpayers approximately $2 billion annually, remains largely vacant, with some agencies reporting up to 80% vacancy rates. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted that 17 out of 24 federal agencies reviewed operated their headquarters at 25% or less of their capacity, with the DHS HQ being 69% unused and Social Security offices 93% vacant. The act has garnered bipartisan support, with proponents arguing it's a commonsense measure to reduce government waste and optimize taxpayer resources, amidst reports that the federal government spends more than $6 billion a year on office space, now occupied at less than 54% than pre-pandemic levels. The passage of the USE IT Act represents a concerted effort to curb the financial drain on taxpayers and improve the efficiency of federal property management.
Proud to vote for the USE IT Act. Federal office space utilization averages 25% or less for most agencies- a waste of taxpayer dollars. Our bill requires a utilization of 60% or higher or the agency will be required to get rid of it. This is an example of good government! https://t.co/KqaYFKEHsv
MORE PLEASE: GOP Bill Would Force Biden Admin to Use or Sell Off Empty Office Space https://t.co/1exRHEj0pF
Telework is useful for federal employees in rural areas or who want to spend more time with family – but policy needs to keep up so taxpayers don't pay for empty office space. My bipartisan FULL Act passed the House to cut gov't waste and be responsible stewards of tax dollars. https://t.co/o8BhWpeKr9
Did you know that 17 out of 24 federal agencies are operating at 25% building capacity? This is not just a waste of taxpayer dollars; it's a slap in the face to the millions of Americans who show up to their jobs each and every day.
As @HouseGOP works to rein in spending, we’re turning to unused office space. The USE IT Act sets standards to either encourage federal workers to go back to the office or lose their office space.
Irked by reports that federal office buildings are sometimes operating at less than 10% capacity, the House on Tuesday approved a use-it-or-lose-it policy for agency office buildings, ordering them to either get employees back at desks or give up the... https://t.co/3YveKt2PcT
House votes to force sell-off of ‘ghost town’ government offices left vacant by pandemic telework https://t.co/DZl9EgX2hR https://t.co/4BkRfy575T
Federal government buildings are sitting empty while employees work form home. In fact, the average office use is only 25%. We’re wasting taxpayer dollars on buildings that sit empty. I just voted YES on the USE IT Act to get federal employees back in the office, or risk…
House votes to force sell-off of 'ghost town' government offices left vacant by pandemic telework https://t.co/1JFLLcDTqr
Federal agencies will be forced to use buildings at a 60% capacity rate or else SELL off 11,000 acres of unused space as Republicans claw back Biden's remote 'bloated' bureaucracy wasting $2 billion taxpayer dollars per year https://t.co/ltDdThKkEa https://t.co/pBrCdMTrFy
Today, @HouseGOP PASSED the USE IT Act of 2023 requiring federal agencies to use their office spaces or sell the buildings. Great work, @TransportGOP https://t.co/FH0LEtrURO
The House just passed my bill, the FULL Act, to reduce the waste of taxpayer dollars on vacant office spaces. The federal government spends more than $6 billion a year on office space, and yet offices in Washington are occupied at less than 54% than pre-pandemic levels. It’s… https://t.co/kxxv2Zxi1V
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨 The House just approved @RepScottPerry's USE IT Act. https://t.co/5ffO6IbZRc
The USE IT Act of 2023 is reasonable - it's bipartisan, it's commonsense. Stop making taxpayers pay for empty space. "Ghost towns: Federal office buildings are 80% vacant, government audit finds." https://t.co/3CogCFbV4U.
"DHS HQ is 69% unused, Social Security offices 93% vacant." PASS the USE IT Act. https://t.co/lOlqQS00NP
Should the U.S. Government keep paying $2 billion a year for empty office buildings, or sell the buildings that don't reach a 60% capacity rate?
The worst performing agencies reviewed by @GAO only use an average of NINE percent of the capacity of their building's headquarters. Federal real property management has been on the @GAO high risk list since 2003. It's time to do something. Let's pass the USE IT Act of 2023.
It’s time for federal employees to go back to the office. If they won’t do that, it’s time to get rid of wasted office space and wasted tax dollars. Thank you @RepScottPerry, for introducing the USE IT Act.
Government watchdog @USGAO reported that 17 of the 24 federal agencies it reviewed used 25% OR LESS of their headquarters office space. Today, we'll vote on my bill, the USE IT Act, which will force agencies to use their offices at a 60% capacity rate or sell the buildings.
Right now, American Taxpayers are forced to pay $2 billion a year for office space - almost half the size of Disney World - that D.C. bureaucrats refuse to use. President Biden is grasping onto more than 11,000 acres of old, unused buildings, and won’t force federal employees