Amid a slew of federal cuts under the Trump Administration, the U.S. General Services Administration announced plans to sell 443 federal properties, including the Oklahoma City Federal Building, earlier this month. After quickly backtracking, the agency has released a new list that does not include any Oklahoma facilities.
Oklahoma City is preparing to memorialize the 30th anniversary of the bombing that destroyed its Murrah Federal Building in 1995. The newer OKC Federal Building opened its doors in 2004, one block north of the site where the Murrah Building once stood.
At the time it was dedicated as a “symbol of freedom,” and the GSA said the facility would “be used and enjoyed now and by future generations of Americans.”
So, Oklahomans responded strongly when the GSA listed the facility for closure.
Republican Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, whose district includes most of Oklahoma City, said she was optimistic the building wouldn’t close but was willing to fight for it.
"I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen," Bice said in an interview with Fox 25.
State Sen. Mark Mann, R-OKC, called the move and its timing ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Murrah bombing “tone-deaf, at best.”
“The agencies and employees housed in the Oklahoma City Federal Building provide valuable services to Oklahoma, the region and the country,” Mann said in a statement. “Decisions like this should only be made after conducting in-depth analysis and evaluation and should be data-driven – not a political stunt.”
After less than 24 hours, the GSA took down its entire list of non-core assets. On Friday, the agency published a new list that includes only 8 properties nationwide. The Oklahoma City Federal Building is not listed, at least for now.
“Due to the overwhelming response that we received after publishing the first list, we are refining our process,” the GSA said in an FAQ about its non-core assets.
The GSA said it’s taking a more “incremental” approach to its cost-cutting, “focusing on a shorter list of assets that have already been evaluated, based on several criteria such as deferred maintenance and operating cost, utilization, and the general availability of replacement space in the local market.”
But it says more buildings will be added to the list as the agency’s analysis continues.
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