UPDATE: The U.S. General Services Administration removed its list of "non-core assets" on Wednesday morning. Its website now says a list is "coming soon."
The U.S. General Services Administration, which oversees the federal government’s real estate, announced Tuesday it’s considering selling 443 of its properties, including the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
The news comes just one month before the 30th anniversary of the truck bombing that destroyed the Murrah Building in 1995.
A new federal building opened its doors in 2004, one block north of the site of the bombing. Then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft dedicated the new facility as a “symbol of freedom.”
Today, the General Services Administration (GSA) listed it as a “non-core asset” it’s considering for “disposal.”
“GSA will consider non-core assets for divestment from government ownership in an orderly fashion to ensure taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space, or the significant maintenance costs associated with long-term building ownership,” the agency said in a statement.
The GSA says selling these properties could save more than $430 million in operating costs each year. That’s around 0.6% of recent annual federal spending.
Officials for the nearby Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum were caught off guard by the news.
"We are surprised to learn on the eve of the 30th Anniversary month of the bombing, the new federal building is on the disposal list since it includes the latest safety protocols and technology," Kari Watkins, President & CEO, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, said in a statement. "After the bombing, it has been a battle to get all the agencies to return to one site."
Watkins emphasized the museum where she works is privately owned and would not be subject to the order.
At the time it built the Oklahoma City Federal Building, the GSA said the facility would “be used and enjoyed now and by future generations of Americans.”
The building's operations manager did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
