Matt Rosendale: “My amendment No. 90 would prohibit any funds made available by this act from being used for the purchase or construction…”

“My amendment No. 90 would prohibit any funds made available by this act from being used for the purchase or construction of any new Federal building in Washington, D.C. Our Nation is over $33 trillion in debt, with an expected annual deficit this year of nearly $2 trillion. We need to find innovative ways to reduce this spending. The Federal Government spends approximately $25 billion annually to operate, maintain, or lease over 278,000 buildings. Some Realtors out there are getting very wealthy managing these properties. A recent GAO report found that, in early 2023, well past COVID at- home working, two-thirds of Federal agencies used a mere 25 percent or less of their space at headquarters. You cannot keep vacancy rates like that on any commercial enterprise and stay in business. The same report also found that, on the higher range, agencies used an estimated 39 to 49 percent of the capacity of their headquarters. The Federal Government wastes billions of taxpayer dollars to own and maintain buildings and barely uses them. This is unacceptable, and quite frankly, it is an insult to the taxpayers of Montana. Moreover, having all of our Federal agencies in Washington, D.C., makes them less accountable to the American people. One of President Trump's accomplishments was moving the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Colorado. Agencies should be close to the constituents where their actions have the biggest impact.…”