Latest / The Fiscal Policy Podcast with Fexingo: Government Budgets, Stimulus, and Public Spending
How the Federal Government Spends 5 Billion a Year on Vacant Office Space
Episode 87 of The Fiscal Policy Podcast digs into a bizarre line item in the federal budget: roughly 5 billion dollars annually spent on rent, utilities, and maintenance for office buildings the government doesn't use. Lucas walks through a 2025 Government Accountability Office report that found the executive branch owns or leases over 23,000 buildings with combined vacancy rates of 25 percent. Luna pushes on why this happens — from outdated telework policies to agencies hoarding space for future expansion. They discuss the Pentagon's 3 million square feet of empty offices, the…
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