Saving Money by Selling Excess Property
"As we look at our fiscal situation, the President understands that the Federal Government must do what American families are doing all across the country: find ways to live within our means and invest in the future. That means cracking down on waste and getting the most from taxpayer dollars.

Since President Obama took office, we’ve made unprecedented progress in reforming the way Washington works - saving billions of taxpayer dollars through IT reform, cut contracting spending, and eliminated duplicative and ineffective programs.

In his State of the Union address, the President discussed another area that is ripe for savings and reform -- the real estate footprint of the Federal government. For too long, the American people’s hard-earned tax dollars have gone to waste, funding empty buildings and holding on to valuable properties the government no longer needs. That is something that shouldn’t be tolerated at any time, but especially with this challenging fiscal environment, it’s unacceptable.

Today, we’re sending legislation to the Hill that will cut through red tape and politics to rid the government of the burden of excess property and save taxpayers at least $15 billion. We look forward to working with members of Congress to pass this legislation, the Civilian Property Realignment Act..."

Federal Building and Facility Security
"The security of federal government buildings and facilities affects not only the daily
operations of the federal government but also the health, well-being, and safety of federal employees and the public. Recent congressional action concerning the security of federal
buildings includes P.L. 111-83 (FY2010 appropriations for the Department of Homeland
Security), which addressed the issue of the transfer of the Federal Protective Service
from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the National Protection and Programs Directorate.

For the purposes of this report, federal facilities include any building leased or owned by
the General Services Administration. In FY2007, the federal government’s real property
portfolio comprised 446,000 buildings with an area of 3.3 billion square feet and a
replacement value of $772.8 billion.

Security of federal facilities includes physical security assets such as closed-circuit
television cameras, barrier material, and security guards (both federally employed and contracted). Federal facility security practices have been subject to criticism by
government auditors and security experts. Elements that have received criticism include
the use of private security guards, the management and security practices of the Federal Protective Service, and the coordination of federal facility security."