SCHUMER DEMANDS ANSWERS & THAT ALBANY FED BUILDING REMAIN OPEN: AFTER BEING LISTED BY GSA FOR SALE AMID ‘DOGE’ CUTS, SENATOR SAYS WE NEED ANSWERS & ASSURANCES THAT VITAL SERVICES AND FED OFFICES WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR CAPITAL REGION
This Week GSA Listed The Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building In Albany And 400+ Other Fed Properties As ‘Designated For Disposal,’ But Mysteriously Removed List On That Same Day – Creating Confusion & Concern Building Could Close And Services Could Get Cut For Capital Region
O’Brien Building Hosts Offices For Social Security, IRS, Military Processing And Its Presence Has Been Essential To Providing Federal Services To Albany Area For Over 50 Years
Schumer: Capital Region Families, Seniors Can’t Have Fed Building Close And Services Cut Off, We Need Answers & Clarity ASAP
After the Trump administration placed the Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building on a list of federal properties “designated for disposal” and abruptly removed that list, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today demanded answers from the General Services Administration (GSA) and assurances that the building will remain open and services uninterrupted for Capital Region residents. Schumer said the building is critical to the Capital Region and that seniors, workers, and families that rely on services in the building need clarity on future plans for this vital hub for services.
“This week, Albany’s O’Brien Federal Building was placed on GSA’s list of federal properties for sale and within a day, that list disappeared, creating confusion, concern, and chaos. Now many are worried this could mean the building will close and services, including a Social Security office, will be interrupted for thousands of Capital Region families, workers and seniors. GSA won’t say what its plans are and ‘DOGE’ is being dodgey about whether this Albany building is next on their chaotic chopping block. This building is where Capital Region families and seniors get help with Social Security checks, where military recruits get processed, where people go with questions on the status of their tax returns, and thousands have gotten help with other vital federal services for 50 years,” said Senator Schumer. “My constituents in the Capital Region deserve to know what caused this chaos and who is making these decisions. They deserve certainty on the future of this building and the vital services it hosts. I am all for cutting waste and making government more efficient, but selling a property for nickels only to have taxpayers pay significantly more to lease and maintain access to these services just isn’t smart business. It’s penny wise and pound foolish, and a giveaway to private landlords. Capital Region families and federal workers have little clarity on what the future holds and we need answers now.”
Albany’s Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building is home to 20 federal government agencies including the Social Security Administration office, a day care for children of federal employees, a U.S. Military Entrance Processing Station, the IRS, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and the senator's Capital Region office. Schumer said that since it was listed earlier this week for potential disposal, his office has been inundated with inquiries on the future of the building, whether it will be closed or sold and whether services will be cut off. Schumer said it is imperative the building remain open and services are maintained, and is now demanding answers on what happened.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, “The Leo O’Brien Building is a hub of vital federal government services, and our residents must have access to these services and the ability to interact with federal agencies — particularly in one of the most underserved census tracts in the entire region. I commend Senator Schumer for demanding answers of this administration and for calling out yet another example of the mismanagement and chaos carried out by DOGE.”
This would not be the first instance of offices that provide vital federal services in NY being potentially shut down by DOGE. Social Security offices in the Hudson Valley have already been listed on the DOGE “wall of receipts” which could impact services for thousands who rely on them to help with payments.
Schumer’s letter to General Services Administration Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian can be found below:
Dear Acting Administrator Ehikian,
I write with deep concern over the Leo W. O'Brien Federal Building in Albany N.Y. appearing on a list of buildings potentially being listed for sale or closure amid cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). On Tuesday, the Leo W. O'Brien Federal Building and over 400 other federal properties were placed on a list of “non-core” properties that the General Services Administration (GSA) said are “designated for disposal.” Later that same day, GSA abruptly removed this list, creating chaos and confusion for the people who work in these buildings. The people of the Capital Region and I need answers on your plans for this building, assurances that it will remain open and that the critical services it hosts will continue uninterrupted for the thousands of New Yorkers who rely on them.
The Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building is home to 20 federal government agencies including the Social Security Administration office, a day care for children of federal employees, a U.S. Military Entrance Processing Station, and my Capital Region office. For 50 years, it has been where Capital Region residents interact with the federal government for essential services like assistance with Social Security checks and the IRS or seeking justice in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. This is where new military recruits from the Capital Region are processed for service. Seeing this building on a list of properties “designated for disposal” created panic for Albany’s federal workers, who are already seeing the federal workforce slashed by DOGE. The list’s sudden removal within hours of first being posted has raised even more questions and caused even more chaos and uncertainty.
Your plans and process for determining the future of the building remain unclear. The GSA is listing the building as a “non-core” property despite the essential services the federal agencies within the building provide on a daily basis. The public has yet to see any cost-benefit studies to justify a potential major sale like this, and many have raised serious concerns that a measure like this would end up costing taxpayers significantly more by forcing federal offices to be leased by a private landlord. To add to the concerns, removing this list with no communication about if or when the list will be re-posted or updated underscores the complete disorganization and inefficiency of a process that potentially impacts jobs and vital services for my constituents. The hard-working federal workers in this building and the communities who rely on their services in New York’s Capital Region deserve clarity and certainty.
In an effort to cut through the confusion, I seek answers on the following:
- What factors led to the Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building’s placement on this list of properties “designated for disposal”?
- Who is making the decisions on this lease, and what involvement does DOGE have in that process?
- Why was this list taken down so quickly? If so, will the list be updated and what criteria are being used for determining whether a property remains on an updated list?
- Why did you not follow the standard processes of seeking public input about the loss of a federal building? Please provide any and all cost-benefit analysis studies that have been done relevant to the decision-making process for this property.
- If the building is sold, is there an alternative plan for the federal offices located in the building? What assurances can be given that existing services in the building will not be disrupted due to a sale of this property?
This building has been integral to the federal government’s work in the Capital Region for 50 years, and its abrupt closure and sale would disrupt essential services my constituents rely on. We should not be haphazardly selling America’s real estate portfolio and causing chaos and uncertainty for the American people. This process is everything but efficient. I ask for your prompt answers to my questions above and urge you to maintain the Leo W. O'Brien Federal Building in Albany so federal workers can continue to support and serve the Capital Region and all of New York State.
Sincerely,
###