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In just a few months since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has cut thousands of federal jobs, leaving American workers unemployed and essential federal work unfinished. Now, Trump and his billionaire buddy — un-elected Elon Musk — are going further by terminating federal government leases in buildings across the country, seemingly without rhyme or reason.
Government employees are the experts who help Americans with their Social Security checks, process Medicaid and Medicare, and so much more — and they do this essential work in federal buildings across the country. Terminating leases in the buildings where federal workers are assisting Americans is careless and cruel to those who worked hard for these benefits. And it certainly does not make the government more efficient.
As of March 6, 2025, the General Services Administration (GSA), in conjunction with Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claims to have terminated 793 federal leases across the country — 24 of which are in my home state of Illinois. These abrupt lease terminations have left impacted agencies in the dark and created alarm and confusion for federal workers. I recently wrote a letter to GSA asking for clarification about how the decisions were made. I have yet to receive a response.
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The Trump administration has made clear its intent to reduce GSA’s footprint by selling half of the buildings owned by the federal government and terminating half of the leases used by federal agencies nationwide. However, the lack of transparency around these actions and DOGE’s influence in the process of lease terminations is troubling.
DOGE protesters outside the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., on Mar. 11, 2025. (Peter Pinedo/Fox News Digital)
The "wall of receipts" touted on the DOGE website is not an adequate source of information, yet it appears to be the only source of information provided to the public. The so-called "DOGE Department" has acted carelessly, terminating leases without proper consultation with the agencies involved or consideration for the workers, constituents, and communities impacted by these decisions.
It is just a matter of time before Americans feel the hurt from these closures. Take the Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Rockford, Illinois. Termination of a hearing room lease means people with disabilities may have to wait longer for their benefits to be processed.
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Several Department of Labor office leases in Illinois were also terminated, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Naperville, Illinois, and the Wage and Hour Division office in Springfield, Illinois. These closures will make it more difficult for Illinoisans to report workplace incidents and file confidential complaints against employers who violate wage and child labor laws, as well as health and safety standards.
Further, the termination of the Small Business Administration (SBA) office lease in Springfield, Illinois, along with a March 6, 2025, announcement that SBA plans to relocate its Chicago regional office, could leave Illinois without an SBA office at all.
These abrupt lease terminations have left impacted agencies in the dark and created alarm and confusion for federal workers. I recently wrote a letter to GSA asking for clarification about how the decisions were made. I have yet to receive a response.
This decision would make it more complicated for small businesses in Illinois to access SBA loan programs, disaster recovery loans, and federal contracts crucial to their livelihoods. And don’t forget, all student loans ($1.6 trillion) are being transferred from the Department of Education to the SBA.
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It seems like no coincidence that SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler is targeting Illinois — a state that does not align with the administration’s hateful immigration policies. States such as Massachusetts, Georgia, New York, Colorado and Washington are also being targeted.
Like many of the actions of this administration, the recent terminations of federal leases have no justification and will inflict pain. The people who will feel the pain of these rash decisions are not the president, Elon Musk, or his billionaire friends — it is everyday Americans. Our federal employees and Americans deserve better.
