Coburn, Carper Say Dump Surplus Property

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) today introduced legislation to eliminate the enormous backlog of unneeded property within the federal government. The bill would help federal agencies more quickly dispose of unneeded property, resulting in billions of dollars of savings to American taxpayers.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a report Friday, June 15, outlining the exorbitant costs associated with agencies holding onto properties they don’t need. Excessive rules and regulations, according to OMB, have resulted in a backlog of more than 21,000 properties worth $18 billion.

The bill would temporarily ease the property disposal rules and allow agencies to more quickly sell properties they don’t need. It would also give agencies a financial incentive to act by allowing them to keep a portion of the proceeds, which would otherwise go directly to the Treasury.

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