Politics
NEW: Trump Moves To Sell Federal Building Named After Nancy Pelosi
President Donald Trump intends to move forward with a plan to sell off roughly 50 federal buildings in Northern California, including the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building and a historic structure at 50 United Nations Plaza, according to the text of a recent executive order.
As part of Trump’s efforts to massively overhaul the federal government and cut down on federal spending, the president has moved to eliminate the Presidio Trust. The Presidio Trust is a federal agency that manages the 1,500 acre park, which once served as a military outpost.
The Trust was named in an executive order titled “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” which was signed by the president on Wednesday night. “The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law;” the order reads before listing the Presidio Trust, the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation, and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Heads of each “unnecessary” government agency listed in the order were given 14 days were instructed to “submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming compliance with this order and stating whether the governmental entity, or any components or functions thereof, are statutorily required and to what extent.”
The Presidio Trust stated that they will continue to operate as normal. In a statement, the trust said they have not received any direct federal funding since 2013 and generally operate off leasing buildings within the park. “We will present a report on our activities to the Office of Management and Budget, as required by the order, in two weeks,” the Trust told ABC 7. “We are confident that our activities are all statutorily-based.”
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As part of the order, the administration will be looking to sell the recently dubbed Nancy Pelosi Federal Building. The two-decade old, 18-story tower was previously known as the San Francisco Federal Building until its formal dedication to the former House speaker in December.
In 2023, dozens of federal employees who worked in the building were instructed to work from home due to high crime and open air drug dealing in the area. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) demanded the building’s closure during worsening safety conditions at the time.
Former U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) was furious with the move and accused Trump of “targeting” Democrats. “It’s another example of how he is coming after Democrats. He’s coming after California, and it’s all about payback,” she said. “The lease will keep going up and you will end up paying the property taxes of the lessor, whereas you don’t pay federal taxes when you are a federal government.”
In addition to the Pelosi building, the Trump Administration is also exploring the possibility of selling the 1930s-era federal building at 50 United Nations Plaza, which currently serves as the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) regional headquarters. According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, a GSA document reviewed by the outlet earmarks both federal properties in San Francisco as “non-core” assets to possibly be sold off.
The potential sale comes as Trump, assisted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, works to reduce wasteful spending. Musk opted to move X, previously known as Twitter, to Texas last year after the company had been headquartered in San Francisco since it’s founding.
