DOGE claims local lease savings, offers few details

CHICAGO — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is claiming $6.4 million in savings from terminating leases on Chicago-area property; but the agency’s own “wall of receipts” offers few details and leads to new questions about how much taxpayers will actually save.

One target is an old furniture store in Hoffman Estates used by the National Archives to digitize records for the Obama Presidential Center. The DOGE website claims terminating the lease on the 73,000-square-foot space on Golf Road will save taxpayers $740,457.  However, the National Archives said in 2023 the lease was set to expire in 2025 so it’s unclear how this qualifies as new savings.

“The records and artifacts of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, which have been temporarily at Hoffman Estates will be permanently moved to College Park, Maryland in late [fiscal year] 2025,” a National Archives spokesperson told WGN Investigates. 

The spokesperson did not respond to specific questions about the lease termination date or claims of potential savings. 

Hoffman Estates’ village manager said the property has been listed for sale for “some time.”

The DOGE website does not list addresses or tenants for most of the lease terminations it counts as savings. It includes leased space in Chicago, Joliet, Naperville, Tinley Park and Hoffman Estates.

DOGE claims taxpayers will save $3.9 million by terminating one lease for more than 81,000 square feet of space in Chicago.   

“Termination via Mass Mod” is the only description provided by the DOGE receipts website.  

“We are working to upload all of our receipts in a digestible and transparent manner consistent with applicable rules and regulations,” DOGE’s website states, just beneath a claim of $105 billion in total estimated savings.

Members of Congress – from both parties – appear to be in the dark about details of many of the moves. 

“We haven’t heard anything about the disposal of any GSA buildings that house offices of Senator Durbin, but are aware that DOGE is looking to dramatically reduce the workforce and property holdings of GSA, and restricting the sharing of information,” Durbin spokesperson Emily Hampsten told WGN Investigates.

Senate republicans have voiced frustration about what one called Musk’s “sledgehammer approach” to its overall cuts. 

President Donald Trump has been supportive of Musk’s slash and burn style while acknowledging some of his cabinet secretaries “disagree a little bit.”

WGN Investigates reached out to the General Services Administration, which acts as the federal government’s landlord, requesting additional information about the local lease terminations.

GSA issued a statement to WGN that said:

Acting Administrator Ehikian’s vision for GSA includes reducing our deferred maintenance liabilities, supporting the return to office of federal employees, and taking advantage of a stronger private/government partnership in managing the workforce of the future.

GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization. A component of our space consolidation plan will be the termination of many soft term leases.  To the extent these terminations affect public facing facilities and/or existing tenants, we are working with our agency partners to secure suitable alternative space.  In many cases this will allow us to increase space utilization and obtain improved terms.