[House Report 119-545]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 119-545
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TO DIRECT THE ADMINISTRATOR OF GENERAL SERVICES TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO
CONGRESS ON THE STATE OF THE REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO OF THE PUBLIC
BUILDING SERVICE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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March 16, 2026.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Graves, from the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 6480]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 6480) to direct the Administrator
of General Services to submit a report to Congress on the state
of the real estate portfolio of the Public Building Service,
and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the
bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose of Legislation........................................... 2
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Hearings......................................................... 3
Legislative History and Consideration............................ 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations................. 3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................ 4
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................ 4
Performance Goals and Objectives................................. 4
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 5
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits....................................................... 5
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 5
Preemption Clarification......................................... 5
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 5
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 5
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 6
PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION
The purpose of H.R. 6480 is to direct the Administrator of
General Services to submit a report to Congress on the state of
the real estate portfolio of the Public Building Service, and
for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The General Services Administration (GSA) manages a vast
Federal real property portfolio that includes both owned and
leased space.\1\ As of fiscal year 2023, the most recent year
for which data is available, the Federal Government owns
roughly 420 million square feet of office space, costing nearly
$2 billion each year to occupy, operate, and maintain.\2\ The
Federal building inventory includes 227,000 buildings
nationwide, with annual operations and maintenance costs
totaling $10.3 billion.\3\ While the GSA continues to reduce
the amount of leased space, more than half of the GSA's
operating leases (96 million square feet) will expire in the
next five years.\4\
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\1\U.S. Gen. Servs. Admin., GSA Properties (last updated Feb. 2,
2026), available at https://www.gsa.gov/tools-overview/buildings-and-
real-estate-tools/inventory-of-gsa-owned-and-leased-properties.
\2\U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-25-108159, Federal Real
Property: Reducing the Government's Holdings Could Generate Substantial
Savings (Apr. 8, 2025), available at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-
25-108159.
\3\Id.
\4\Press Release, U.S. Gen. Servs. Admin., GSA Accelerates Efforts
to Right-size Federal Real Estate with Plans for 1.5 Million Square
Feet in Reductions and More than $475 Million in Cost Avoidance to
Taxpayers (Dec. 4, 2024), available at https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/
newsroom/news-releases/gsa-accelerates-efforts-to-rightsize-federal-
real-estate-12042024.
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Persistent problems, such as excess and underutilized
space, unreliable data, and barriers to disposal have kept
Federal real property on the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) High-Risk list since 2003.\5\ GAO found that the backlog
of deferred maintenance more than doubled over a seven-year
period, rising from approximately $170 billion in fiscal year
2017 to about $370 billion in fiscal year 2024.\6\ The GAO has
emphasized that clearer and more consistent communication from
Federal agencies to Congress and the public regarding
utilization, disposal, maintenance, and repair needs is
essential to improving oversight and long-term management of
the federal real estate portfolio.\7\
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\5\U.S. Gov't Accountability Off., GAO-25-108159, Federal Real
Property: Reducing the Government's Holdings Could Generate Substantial
Savings (Apr. 8, 2025), available at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-
25-108159.
\6\Id.
\7\Id.
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The GSA previously prepared and submitted to Congress a
``State of the Portfolio'' report on an annual basis.\8\ The
last publicly available report covers fiscal year 2013.\9\ The
``State of the Portfolio'' provided Congress and the public
with a complete accounting and analysis of the GSA's real
estate holdings, including breakdowns of the costs, deferred
maintenance, scope, and size of the GSA's real estate
footprint. Data and information furnished in the annual report
provided valuable information that assisted in the oversight of
GSA and the Public Building Service enabled Congress to take
steps to ensure that taxpayers are not paying to operate and
maintain facilities that do not meet current mission needs.\10\
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\8\GSA Pub. Bldgs. Serv., State of the Portfolio: FY2013 (Oct. 20,
2014), available at https://origin-www.gsa.gov/system/files/
SOTP13_FINAL_10202014.pdf.
\9\Id.
\10\GSA Pub. Bldgs. Serv., State of the Portfolio: FY2013 (Oct. 20,
2014), available at https://origin-www.gsa.gov/system/files/
SOTP13_FINAL_10202014.pdf.
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HEARINGS
For the purposes of rule XIII, clause 3(c)(6)(A) of the
119th Congress, the following hearing was used to develop or
consider H.R. 6480:
On March 5, 2025, the Subcommittee on Economic Development,
Public Buildings, and Emergency Management of the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing entitled,
``America Builds: Making Federal Real Estate Work for the
Taxpayer.'' The Subcommittee received testimony from Mr. David
Marroni, Director, Physical Infrastructure, Government
Accountability Office (GAO) and Mr. David Winstead, Board
Member, Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB).
On December 11, 2025, the Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing
entitled, ``Cutting Costs, Adding Value: The Future of Federal
Property.'' The Subcommittee received testimony from Mr. Andrew
Heller, (Acting) Public Buildings Service Commissioner, General
Services Administration; Ms. Heather Krause, Managing Director,
Physical Infrastructure Issues, GAO; and the Honorable Michael
Capuano, Board Member, PBRB.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION
H.R. 6480 was introduced in the United States House of
Representatives on December 4, 2025, by Mr. Stanton of Arizona
and referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure. Within the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, H.R. 6480 was referred to the Subcommittee on
Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency
Management. The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public
Buildings, and Emergency Management was discharged from further
consideration of H.R. 6480 on December 18, 2025.
The Committee considered H.R. 6480 on December 18, 2025,
and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a
favorable recommendation, without amendment, by voice vote.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires each committee report to include the
total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote
on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the
measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for
and against.
No record votes were requested during consideration of H.R.
6480.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are
reflected in this report.
NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES
Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is
included in this report.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has
received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6480 from the
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 6480 would require the General Services Administration
(GSA) to annually report to the Congress on their real estate
portfolio. Under the bill, GSA would report on issues such as
leases, square footage, building owned, construction and
repair, disposals, and relocations.
Using information from GSA, CBO estimates that the
administrative costs for compiling this information would total
less than $500,000 over the 2026-2030 period. Any related
spending would be subject to the availability of
appropriations.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew
Pickford. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
performance goal and objective of this legislation is to amend
title 40, United States Code, to require the Administrator of
the General Services Administration to provide an annual report
to Congress on the state of GSA's real estate portfolio.
DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision
of H.R. 6480 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the
Federal government known to be duplicative of another Federal
program, a program that was included in any report from the
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance.
CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED
TARIFF BENEFITS
In compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no
Congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule
XXI.
FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act (Public Law 104-4).
PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION
Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local,
or tribal law. The Committee finds that H.R. 6480 does not
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
No advisory committees within the definition of Section
5(b) of the appendix to Title 5, United States Code, are
created by this legislation.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law
104-1).
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
Section 1. Report on State of Real Estate Portfolio of GSA
This section directs the GSA Administrator to submit an
annual report to Congress on the state of the real estate
portfolio of the Public Building Service for the previous year.
Specifically, the report must detail leasing activity and
space usage, including leases signed and terminated, total
leased space, square footage leased, occupied, and vacant, and
the total number of federally owned buildings. It must also
identify major customers by space and rent, summarize completed
construction and major repair projects, and provide key
financial and performance metrics such as space utilization,
operating costs, cost avoidance, and deferred maintenance. In
addition, the report must disclose any federal property
disposals and outline GSA and tenant agency plans for
relocating agencies from space identified for disposal or from
non-renewed leases, including funding sources.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED
As reported by the Committee, H.R. 6480 makes no changes in
existing law.
[all]