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Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has published a list of 793 federal real estate leases that it is seeking to cancel as part of the Trump administration's unprecedented effort to shrink the size of government.
The Associated Press has obtained an internal planning document from the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, that shows when nearly 2/3 of those cancellations are expected to go into effect. Dozens are expected to be cancelled on June 30, with hundreds more to follow on Aug. 31, Sept. 30 and beyond.
The AP also obtained more information about each lease on DOGEâs list through other publicly available datasets, including their addresses, the dates their leases had started and were originally expected to expire, and the landlords who own them.
The leases getting cancelled range from major offices in Washington D.C. and regional agency headquarters around the country to small storefronts that serve the public. Several agencies, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey, are set to lose 20 or more leases.
Agencies are figuring out how to handle the lease cancellations, and advocates are pushing for specific offices to remain open. But agencies could face penalties if they do not move out by the dates that their leases expire, and many offices are expected to close, be downsized or relocate.
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READ APâS LATEST COVERAGE
AP Exclusive: Hundreds of federal offices could begin closing this summer at DOGEâs behest
DOGE lease cancellations: Which government offices could be closed this year and when
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WHY IS DOGE TARGETING LEASED FEDERAL OFFICES AND BUILDINGS?
Studies have suggested that the federal government's real estate portfolio is excessive, with some agencies hanging on to offices and other spaces that are underused or unused.
Efforts were already underway to identify such leases for potential downsizing, with the federal governmentâs real estate portfolio steadily declining over the last decade, but DOGE and the GSA in recent weeks have dramatically sped up that process by issuing mass lease cancellations. DOGE says that the cancellations thus far could save roughly $500 million over the terms of the leases, but that figure has not been verified.
Critics say the cancellations have moved far too quickly, leading to errors and alarm about how they will impact critical federal services. They are also coming as the Trump administration is ordering remote federal workers back to the office and implementing mass layoffs at several agencies, including the GSA.
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FIND YOUR STATE: LEASES SET TO BE CANCELED IN YOUR STATE AND REGION
Search APâs database for more information on the 793 federal real estate leases that DOGE wants to cancel, including â where available â planned termination dates. Some listed agencies lack details about their location or lease. In these cases, the agency name data came directly from the DOGE website and the AP was unable to match the listing to any existing data that might shine a light on where they are. The spreadsheet also includes congressional districts, representativeâs names and party affiliations when specific location information was available for the lease. Consider contacting officials tied to the agency in your state to confirm more details.
According to the GSA, the lease start date field indicates when a lease began. It is unclear based on available information if this is when the current lease began or when the federal government first entered into a lease at the building.
The database should be used with discretion when reporting. Just because a lease is included on the list doesn't automatically mean it will be closed. And sources in and out of the government say at least some cancellations on DOGE's list have been rescinded, but are not yet reflected on the public list.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
â Investigate the leases that are set to be canceled in your communities. Visit the offices and buildings to determine what kind of government services are provided and how many people work there.
â Reach out to the agencies, workers and their local users and supporters to examine the impact of the cancellations, including whether the offices may be closed or relocated. (The lease terminations do not mean all the locations will close. In some cases, agencies may negotiate new leases to stay in place, downsize their existing space or relocate elsewhere.) How hard will it be to move out in the coming months if they are required to do that? Are there any unique equipment needs that require certain kinds of spaces that might be hard to replicate when the lease is cancelled?
â Look for any offices that may be vacant or barely used and determine how much taxpayer money might be saved by closing them.
â Use the database to learn who owns the buildings, and seek out their reaction to the cancellations and the impact they'll have. Many of the leases had been expected to continue for several years. What impact might these closings have on the local real estate market? Contact local commercial realtors and chambers of commerce for their perspective.
â Call local members of Congress to see whether they are taking any action to advocate for keeping specific offices open, and whether they're having any success.
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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE
What to know about Social Security office closures driven by Muskâs DOGE
Trump administration deletes list of hundreds of federal buildings targeted for potential sale
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Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customersâ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org