The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday it plans to put its historic South Building headquarters on the National Mall up for sale while moving remaining staff to facilities nationwide before 2025 ends.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described the decision as a necessary cost-saving measure, pointing to expensive upkeep requirements and sparse occupancy levels in the decades-old facility.
The announcement comes after thousands of USDA workers accepted voluntary departure packages and left their positions during the past year as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to streamline federal government operations and reduce its overall size.
Speaking at a Wednesday news conference held outside the building, Rollins reflected on the facility’s decline. “At one time, the South Building was the beating heart of USDA, alive with research and teeming with activity decades ago. But today, it is a shell of what it once was,” she stated.
The property will be transferred to the General Services Administration for the sales process, Rollins explained, while Iowa Senator Joni Ernst displayed a “For Sale By Owner” sign during the announcement.
According to GSA Administrator Edward Forst, the landmark USDA building constructed during the 1930s faces $1.6 billion in overdue maintenance expenses, with approximately 80% of its office space currently unoccupied.
Department officials have indicated plans to relocate most Washington-based personnel to regional centers in North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, Colorado and Utah.
