Earlier this year, hundreds of employees from the General Services Administration (GSA) faced terminations, but they’ve now been offered a chance to return. This was reported recently by the Associated Press.
Those former employees have until the week’s end to accept their offers and will be able to start back at the agency on October 6th. The GSA is responsible for constructing, managing, and maintaining government buildings.
The agency became a focus for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established under President Trump and is spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. This year, many GSA employees either left voluntarily, accepted early retirement packages, or were dismissed.
According to tracking by the Public Service Partnership, over 201,000 federal employees have exited since Trump took office in January. It’s noted that some of those who left were associated with the IRS, Labor Department, or National Park Service.
In March, the GSA identified nearly 450 federal buildings for potential sale. Currently, there are still 45 locations categorized as “assets identified for accelerated disposal” on the GSA’s official website.
Furthermore, the GSA issued nearly 800 notices to landlords for lease cancellations, but some government tenants were not informed about these notices. A report from March mentioned that several federal buildings had their leases expire without the associated fees being paid back to taxpayers.
The DOGE claims to have achieved savings of approximately $200 billion, translating to around $1,279.50 for each taxpayer. However, CNN reported earlier this year that some of DOGE’s cost-cutting measures were inconsistent.
The White House has reached out to the GSA for comments.
A spokesman for the GSA stated, “The leadership is taking a comprehensive look at workforce actions, keeping in mind the best interests of the institutions we serve and American taxpayers.” He added that it’s essential to recognize that many separations were due to employee choices.
