Trump admin may sell J.J. Pickle Federal Building, Austin buildings used by Veterans' Affairs, Treasury
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Over a million square feet of federal property in Austin may come up for sale soon, according to a now-deleted list from the US General Services Administration (GSA), which manages the government's real property.
According to the GSA, the list includes properties 'not core to government operations' that it has marked for a disposal process.
The Hill: GSA identifies hundreds of 'non-core' federal properties amid Trump admin's DOGE cuts
'Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions,' it said on the list's webpage.
However, it removed the list Wednesday morning, per its website.
The GSA said in a Wednesday afternoon statement that its list was built to 'align with the President's direction to bring federal employees back to high performing office spaces' and to the 'benefit of the American taxpayer.'
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'To be clear, just because an asset is on the list doesn't mean it's immediately for sale. However, we will consider compelling offers (in accordance with applicable laws and regulations) and do what's best for the needs of the federal government and taxpayer,' the Wednesday statement reads.
Prior to the list's removal, it included four buildings on a property near the interchange of Interstate 35 and US-71. Those buildings are a US Treasury Department office, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Austin's IT Center, a childcare facility for federal workers, and an IRS service facility.
The list also included the J.J. Pickle Federal Building at 300 East 8th Street, which houses the offices of US Senator Ted Cruz and US Representative Lloyd Doggett. In the 1960s, former President Lyndon Johnson used a suite in the building as his local office.
KXAN learned in January that the building was also used to detain people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It's not yet known if the next version of the list will still include these buildings. The GSA said it intends to republish the list soon.
'We anticipate the list will be republished in the near future after we evaluate this initial input and determine how we can make it easier for stakeholders to understand the nuances of the assets listed,' the agency said.
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