You're watching...
Rep. John Mica, (R-Fla.), breaks down the millions being spent on empty building by the government.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
America is on the road to -- -- not just because government spends too much but also because bureaucrats miss opportunities to make money.
After all it's not their money it's your money.
Why bother to keep track of most of it.
Governments the biggest landowner in America.
It owns 81% of -- -- most of Utah Alaska Idaho they can make billions selling some -- or releasing more of it.
But they dealt.
And in the nation's capital Florida congressman John Mica discovered that government waste tons of our money letting office buildings sit empty.
He showed us two of.
90000 square feet a block from here to here.
-- use this is called the continent.
It's so close to the White House that the CBO says the space is worth a 150 million dollars.
It's been empty for five years.
Well it's not just buildings its properties to.
This is a small building it's only 90000.
Square feet.
But this on the -- but government because -- normal -- all we're going -- -- -- of that they at least.
With a million square feet without any tenants it's just empty.
What's in it for them to hold on.
Under this -- It's bureaucrats they can't make a decision they got thousands of these properties and nobody wants to make a decision this -- yet here we have -- Miami we got Chicago Los Angeles down the street is the old post off.
Thankfully part of it's rented out but the government still loses six million dollars a year in this property.
Because the -- -- totally empty.
This annex has been vacant for fifteen years.
And it's not like it's -- -- it's a beautiful space.
Now we know some GSA employees were caught making these -- videos and brag about wasting our money my.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- I assume that there -- -- good job they're they've left they're decent you're missing the point there is no motivation and government.
Come on know automation and government congressman -- joins us now.
No motivation.
-- that's our job actually to motivate and debt.
The taxpayers left holding the bag -- back home.
They don't see this going on no one pays attention and we're sitting on valuable.
Assets when we're running up trillion dollar deficits.
So the GSA admits that he has 141000.
Buildings it calls excess there.
Government even has some map that list thumb and it's kind of fun you can click on one of these stocks and learn more about how your money's being wasted and where.
I'll post a link to this website at John -- dot com but.
Congressman -- -- the 141000.
Excess buildings that they admit to don't even include the empty buildings you just showed us.
Other they're -- anymore -- -- and then we're only talking about.
What -- GSA control you've got post offices and military installations.
Outside of our jurisdiction that are also sitting vacant the -- B sent us.
-- response to our questions they say a year ago the president called on congress to address wasteful excess property cut through the red tape.
And currently the government has twenty steps that must go through before moving a property to sale.
They -- congress' fault.
Well part of it is Congress's fault and some people do -- -- Benefit by keeping things the way they are film beast as we couldn't wait for congress so we've aggressively cut excess real estate costs by over one and a half billion.
We can go much much further when you have.
Approaching seventeen trillion dollars in debt and endangering our children's future you've got to start somewhere and that's not acceptable heaven forbid we should have the private sector engaged in property management.
Only the government can do it best that's a -- had philosophy and a flawed way of conducting the people's business.
You used to be -- private developers see you understand the differences.
Absolutely and I don't know anyone that would turn over their property or.
Everything they own for the get federal government or government to manage they'd have to be -- Thank you congressman Mike good luck saving us some money.
Thank you.
