The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is cutting bureaucratic waste and saving taxpayer money. What a novel idea!
On March 26, ED issued a press release announcing its removal from the Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters building in Washington, relocating to 500 D Street SW. This will save at least $4.8 million annually in operating costs and stop the waste of space, as the previous headquarters was 70% empty. Instead of using the much-too-large building with higher costs, the ED is downsizing, effective August 2026. But the savings don’t stop there.
The Lyndon B. Johnson building will not go to waste, either, as the U.S. Department of Energy plans to move out of its “outdated” building to assume the lease of the former ED headquarters. That will also save taxpayers money, as it would be $350 million to perform necessary maintenance on the Energy Department’s current building, according to the press release. While the building will therefore still be in use, the hundreds of millions of dollars of maintenance will no longer be necessary, a net gain.
“One year ago, President Trump signed one of the most consequential executive orders of his presidency – to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Thanks to the hard work of so many, we have made unprecedented progress in reducing the federal education footprint, and now we are pleased to give this building to an agency that will benefit far more from its space than the Department of Education. This is an important step in our efforts to forge brighter futures for our nation’s students, honor the taxpayers who invest in their promise, and support the civil servants who keep this vital work moving forward.”
The Trump administration has been looking for ways to downsize ED and hand over essential functions to the states, with the goal of eventually eliminating the unconstitutional department altogether. This ED transfer of one headquarters to the Energy Department and the move to a smaller facility is one more step in that direction.
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Saving taxpayer money is the priority. “Relocating to the LBJ building will deliver significant taxpayer savings and will ensure the Energy Department continues to deliver on its mission,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “We look forward to working closely with the General Services Administration and the Education Department throughout this process.”
The General Services Administration (GSA) is also involved in the move and optimistically predicts both short-term and long-term benefits for both the Energy Department and ED over the change.
“GSA is partnering with the Department of Education and the Department of Energy to match their missions of tomorrow with ideal environments that powers their talented workforce, cuts waste, and lowers costs,” said GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst. “This is the government working smarter for the American people. I want to thank Secretary Wright and Secretary McMahon for their positive energy and collaboration in executing President Trump’s directive to strengthen the government’s real estate portfolio.” This is exactly the sort of waste-cutting that Americans want to see.
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