Overview

• The General Services Administration told roughly 400 former real-estate management workers to accept or decline reinstatement by week’s end, with return-to-duty set for Oct. 6 after about seven months off, according to an internal memo reported by AP.
• Even as recalls proceed, the administration is moving ahead with 126 dismissals at GSA’s Public Buildings Service and plans a new team to help agencies consolidate and relocate offices, a GSA official and a letter reviewed by Reuters indicated.
• A former GSA real estate official said the agency was left “broken and understaffed,” after DOGE-driven cuts slashed headquarters staff by 79%, portfolio managers by 65% and facilities managers by 35%, contributing to operational breakdowns.
• DOGE’s rapid push to cancel nearly half of GSA’s 7,500 leases has been scaled back, with more than 480 slated cancellations spared and 131 leases allowed to expire without agencies vacating, exposing taxpayers to added fees.
• The GAO is examining GSA’s workforce management, lease terminations and disposal plans, as the GSA recall mirrors reversals at the IRS, Labor Department and National Park Service.