MIAMI (AP) — Hundreds of federal workers who were laid off inElon Musk’s cost-cutting blitzare being requested to come back to work.
The General Services Administration has provided employees — who were in charge of government workspaces — until the end of the week to either accept or reject their return to work, as stated in an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Anyone who agrees must return to their positions on October 6 following what essentially was a seven-month paid break, during which the GSA incurred significant expenses — ultimately borne by taxpayers — to maintain dozens of properties whose leases it had previously signed.slated for terminationor were permitted to lapse.
Eventually, the result was that the agency was left damaged and under-resourced,” said Chad Becker, a former GSA real estate official. “They lacked the personnel necessary to perform fundamental tasks.
Becker, who advocates for owners holding government leases through Arco Real Estate Solutions, stated that the GSA has been in a “triage mode” for several months. He mentioned that the abrupt change in the reduction effort highlights how Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have moved too quickly.
Reemployment of dismissed federal workers
The GSA was created in the 1940s to consolidate the acquisition and administration of numerous federal office spaces. Its request to return to work aligns with rehiring initiatives in several agencies affected by DOGE. Last month, the IRS announced it would permit some employees who accepted a resignation offer toremain on the job.The Department of Labor has also rehired some employees who previously opted for buyouts, while the National Park Service had earlier brought back several employees who had been let go.
Essential to the operations of these agencies is the GSA, which oversees numerous buildings. Beginning in March, thousands of GSA workers departed the agency through initiatives that prompted them to resign or opt for early retirement. Hundreds more — those who received the recall notice — were let go as part of a strong effort to shrink the federal workforce. Even though these employees did not report to work, some are still receiving their pay.
GSA officials did not answer specific questions regarding the return-to-work notice, which the agency released on Friday. They also refused to talk about the agency’s employee numbers, staffing choices, or possible additional expenses resulting from changing its plans to end lease agreements.
“The leadership of the GSA has examined workforce measures and is implementing changes that are in the best interest of the customer agencies we support and the American taxpayers,” said an agency representative in an email.
Democrats have criticized the Trump administration’s broad strategy of cutting costs and jobs. Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, the leading Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for the GSA, stated to AP that there is no proof that the agency’s cuts “resulted in any savings.”
“It has caused expensive confusion and weakened the services that taxpayers rely on,” he stated.
DOGE recognized the agency, which had approximately 12,000 employees at the beginning of the Trump administration, as aprimary focus of its effortsto minimize deception, misuse, and exploitation within the federal government.
A limited group of Musk’s close advisors stationed at GSA’s headquarters, occasionallysleeping on cots on the agency’s sixth floorand aimed to quickly terminate almost half of the 7,500 leases in the federal portfolio. DOGE also sought for GSA to sell numerous government-owned buildings with the objective of achieving billions in cost reductions.
GSA began by sending over800 lease cancellation noticesto property owners, often without notifying the government tenants. The agency also released a list of hundreds of government structures that were up for sale.
DOGE’s significant workforce reductions resulted in minimal cost reductions.
Resistance to the GSA’s disposal of its portfolio came quickly, and both projects have been scaled down. Over 480 leases that were planned for cancellation by DOGE have now been saved. These leases were for offices located across the country that are used by agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration, and Food and Drug Administration.
The “Wall of Receipts” for DOGE, which previously claimed that lease terminations would save almost $460 million, has now lowered this projection to $140 million by the end of July, as reported by Becker, a former GSA real estate official.
In the meantime, the GSA initiated significant reductions in staffing. The administration reduced the number of personnel at the GSA’s headquarters by 79%, portfolio managers by 65%, and facilities managers by 35%, as reported by a federal official who is aware of the situation. This official, not permitted to communicate with the media, shared the figures under the condition of anonymity.
Due to the internal conflicts, 131 leases ended without the government leaving the properties, according to an official. This has led the agencies to face significant charges since property owners have been unable to lease those areas to other renters.
The general population might soon have a more accurate understanding of events that occurred at the organization.
The Government Accountability Office, an independent body that oversees Congress, is looking into how the GSA manages its employees, ends leases, and plans to sell buildings, with results expected in the next few months, according to David Marroni, a senior GAO official.
___
Foley covered events in Iowa City, Iowa.
