Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023
Floor Speech
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Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I commend Mr. Perry for his work on this important bill. I had the opportunity to serve on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where this horrible expense issue was brought to our attention.
I also thank the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Perez), my bipartisan co-lead, for her partnership on this amendment and the greater standalone bill.
Mr. Chair, I am here today to urge support for my amendment to H.R. 6276, the USE IT Act.
I introduced the Federal Use it or Lose it Leases Act, or the FULL Act, back in November to bring accountability to the practice of maintaining high telework levels while maintaining expensive office leases and to reduce wasteful government spending on unused office space.
My bill was drafted in concurrence with Mr. Perry's USE IT Act to ensure that our language was synonymous and could work together to establish strong Federal building policies and procedures to reduce the Federal footprint. The FULL Act unanimously passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by voice vote during the full committee markup on November 15.
As you well know, a GAO report found that 17 of the 24 major agency headquarters in D.C. were less than 25 percent occupied during the first quarter of 2023. Even the few agencies above 25 percent reported right around or below 50 percent occupancy. Meanwhile, taxpayers continue to pay for 100 percent of the office space Federal employees are not using.
The Federal real estate portfolio has become a wasteland that is seldom reviewed. Leased assets cost taxpayers more than $6 billion a year. Even during the peak of telework, between 2020 and 2022, Federal agencies managed to spend more than $1 billion in a single year on new furnishings.
If you compare the USE IT Act and my amendment, you will see our language is very similar. Mr. Perry's USE IT Act establishes the criteria that I reference in my amendment to regulate general Federal building practices. My bill differentiates itself by serving as the reporting catalyst for Mr. Perry's bill.
The USE IT Act creates mandatory reporting requirements for agencies, and the FULL Act will require that GSA include language in all leases with Federal tenants directing the submission of an annual report on monthly occupancy and inclusion of written procedures governing the return of that unused office space to GSA. Together, the language ensures Congress has up-to-date information to make the best space utilization decisions for our taxpayers.
The FULL Act also requires independent leasing authorities to submit a report to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the congressional committee of jurisdiction on occupancy and space utilization.
Ultimately, my amendment seeks to equip Congress and GSA with the data needed to provide greater oversight of Federal leases, to reduce the Federal real estate footprint, and to ensure that we are maximizing every Federal dollar spent on office space for agency use. Mr. Perry's bill sets the best practices for managing Federal real estate, and my amendment provides the mechanism for implementing those best practices.
Ultimately, Mr. Chair, I urge support of my amendment, which will help to strengthen congressional oversight of government spending on office leases and prevent taxpayers from continuing to foot the bill for underutilized Federal office space.
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Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Washington State (Ms. Perez).
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