The White House has proposed an initiative that it says will cut through red tape and political complications in the effort to get rid of excess federal real estate, potentially saving billions.
The legislative proposal would establish an independent board of experts to expedite the disposal of some 14,000 unneeded properties and identify opportunities to consolidate offices across and within agencies.
OMB said that if Congress accepts the package of proposals on an up-or-down vote then all properties would be quickly disposed of or consolidated.
Included in the proposal are a waiver of up to 20 requirements to sell a federal property, funding for the short term costs of selling an asset when agencies can’t afford to do so, and an independent board that can bundle proposed property sales and consolidations so whole packages can be voted on to speed up the process.
