'For Sale': DOGE moves to sell off almost half a billion in federal real estate, relocate cabinet agency HQs

The imposing modernist structure, which hovers across L'Enfant Plaza as a cross between an office building and a pedestrian bridge, was once known as the "Little Pentagon" and home to overflow Department of Defense personnel during the Vietnam War.

The Department of Energy moved in after then-President Jimmy Carter created the agency in 1977.

Several other buildings along Independence Avenue in the Federal Center section of Washington - so named for its panoply of federal offices - would hit the market as well.

Directly west of the Forrestal, one of the Agriculture Department's outbuildings on Independence is on DOGE's list for mandatory sale.

That building is at about one-quarter capacity and is in need of nearly $2 billion in upgrades or maintenance, Republicans said.

Ernst quipped the Agriculture building is the perfect "fixer-upper" to be on the market.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Jr. building - named for former President Lyndon Johnson's vice president - can be seen by traffic glancing right as they exit Interstate 395's Third Street Tunnel near the U.S. Capitol.

It houses the Department of Health and Human Services and would also be required to be put on the market within 18 months of the For Sale Act's passage.

The Theodore Roosevelt Building, at the foot of Interstate 66 just west of the White House, along with the Frances Perkins Federal Building on the other side of the city, rounds out the list.

The legislation would also have safeguards against foreign entities buying up the buildings - as China and other rivals have purchased land by proxy very close to sensitive installations like a major Air Force base in North Dakota.

Additionally, any entity in which a foreign national is a "beneficial owner" would be prohibited from participating in any federal real estate sales.

Ernst and DOGE previously successfully mandated the sale of the aging Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Federal Center. Within its 1.2 million square feet, only 72 people were working there as of 2024. 

It formerly housed offices for Voice of America and the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors.