Senators Cramer, Kelly Introduce Legislation to Save Taxpayer Money by Reforming Process to Dispose Unneeded Federal Property

WASHINGTON - The Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (FASTA), passed by Congress and signed into law in 2016, was enacted to address long-standing, federal deficiencies in managing its real property portfolio. It aimed to streamline the disposal of unneeded federal buildings, land, and structures, ultimately saving millions of dollars in taxpayer money.

FASTA established a six-year pilot program overseen by the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) to recommend the disposal of properties in three rounds. The PBRB began operating in 2019, and their work resulted in the sale of 10 buildings, generating over $193 million in revenue. However, as of 2022, the federal government still had 7,697 vacant buildings.

After completing the first two rounds, the PBRB identified numerous challenges impacting FASTA’s overall effectiveness. U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced legislation to address these outstanding issues and facilitate a successful final round. Their legislation extends the PBRB’s termination date to 2026, reduces the minimum numbers required for a quorum, ensures tribal input is incorporated in the disposal process, and enables the use of more effective disposal methods.

“Keeping unneeded federal buildings open for no reason is costing American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It’s ridiculous and must be fixed,” said Senator Cramer. “Our legislation is a bipartisan, pragmatic effort to get rid of these buildings faster so they can quit draining federal coffers and be put to better public use.”

“Abandoned and unused federal buildings are an eyesore for communities, yet too often, bureaucratic red tape makes it difficult for federal agencies to sell these buildings—even when a community could find a better use for them,” said Senator Kelly. “Our bipartisan bill will make sure the federal government can dispose of unused property, while generating a return for taxpayers.” 

Click here for bill text.

U.S. Representatives Scott Perry (R-PA-10) and Dina Titus (D-NV-10) introduced similar bipartisan legislation, which was unanimously passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee late last year. These much-needed reforms will help the PBRB complete its work more effectively, resulting in greater savings to the taxpayer.