The Trump administration is planning to sell federal landmarks in an effort to cut costs

The Trump administration has announced that it is exploring the sale of some of the federal government's iconic buildings, including the headquarters of the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the old Postal building.

The US General Services Administration (GSA) said in a statement on Tuesday (March 4) that it had identified 443 properties totaling more than 80 million square feet that were deemed not core government-operated assets and could be sold to reduce federal spending.

The planned sale is seen as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, led by the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) led by Musk, the world's richest man. DOGE claims these streamlining measures have saved the government US $105 billion (S $141.7 billion), with some of the cuts coming from cancelling leases on government properties. However, budget experts questioned the figures provided by the department.

The GSA noted that selling the buildings could save the government $430 million a year in operating costs. Due to a lack of renewal funds, GSA has been unable to modernize these assets.

Some buildings, such as the old Post Office Building, have recently been renovated, while others, such as the FBI's Edgar Hoover Building, are in urgent need of replacement due to aging facilities. In fact, the GSA announced plans to build a new FBI headquarters in Maryland as early as 2023.

In addition to the headquarters of the Justice Department and the FBI, the list also includes the headquarters of several government departments, such as Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and the Federal Aviation Administration. In addition, GSA's own headquarters building is also on the sale list. It is not clear which buildings will ultimately be included in the sale or how much they will sell for. The GSA and its authorities declined to comment.

The list also includes skyscrapers in Chicago, Atlanta and Cleveland, as well as several Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filing centers. According to an internal IRS memo, the office buildings will be sold starting in June, after the tax season ends in April.