Over-spending isn’t the only problem with the federal bureaucracy. So is mismanagement of assets. Rep. John Mica of Florida talked with federalnewsradio.com about his work to get asset mismanagement under control.
I have held hearings in vacant federal buildings and visited federal sites that would shock and awe the American taxpayer. An example of this underutilization is the 6,600-acre Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland. This prime real estate located in our nation’s capital region has 200 of its 500 buildings designated as excess. This is unacceptable.
As a result of some of my prior work, a number of idle properties are being turned into revenue sources and generating new business and job opportunities. In fact, the Georgetown Heating Plant complex, located in a high-rent area of Washington, D.C., sat empty and idle for more than a decade and cost taxpayers $3.5 million. This property was finally auctioned off in 2013 for $19.5 million.
I am confident we can come to bipartisan solutions to liquidate, consolidate and better manage our assets. Currently, I am working on legislation that will dramatically expedite the sale of excess federal property. We can and must do a better job of turning our deficits into assets.
Makes you wonder how much more is just sitting, wasted. Actually, we now know. From Rep. Mica:
In a hearing I recently chaired, it was disclosed that the federal government still holds approximately 77,700 vacant or underutilized buildings that cost taxpayers more than $1.6 billion annually.
