'It's A Very Problematic Situation': Jack Reed Asks GSA Admin About ICE Detainment Center Purchases

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Turn over to Ranking Member Reed for his question. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and uh Administrator, welcome. Thank you. Uh you know, if you just tone down the enthusiasm, the energy, the verb that you're displaying so magnificently, we can have a conversation. Okay, now I'm I'm joshing a bit. Uh as I mentioned in my opening statement, uh too often we do not get the information about what GSA is doing. Uh in the past few years we've appropriated over $1 billion for repairs and alterations, but we don't know what projects you're working on, what's the status of projects. We've asked several times in several different ways.

[00:00:39]So, would you commit to sending us a detailed progress report for each project the GSA is is using FY '25 and '26 monies? Sir, I'd be delighted to work with your staff and share information. Just to segment some of this, currently I think we have 7,300 projects underway across the federal footprint. Everything from replacing a toilet to a roof to a boiler to a full-scale modernization of buildings.

[00:01:07]And so, there may be some leveling within that. About $500 million are budget asked this year is for very minor repairs.

[00:01:16]I'm not expecting that that is necessary where you want to focus, but we have bigger ticket items. And I'd be delighted to walk through that. And the focus can be just on FY '25 and FY '26 cuz those 8,000 job projects some probably go back few years.

[00:01:30]Unfortunately, they do. Yeah.

[00:01:32]Uh I've been made aware that the GSA has a memorandum of understanding with the Defense Ministry of Pakistan to renovate the Pakistan-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York. And uh I that seems to be an odd assignment for the GSA, uh supporting a foreign government while they're renovating a hotel for commercial purposes, I presume.

[00:01:59]Uh what legal authority are you using, uh director?

[00:02:04]Thank you for the question about about the Roosevelt Hotel, New York City and Pakistan. So, I did sign an MOU with the government of Pakistan. This is something was negotiated uh by special envoy Whitkoff.

[00:02:17]It promises us to do nothing. It promises us to consider a collaboration with Pakistan on that particular property, which is as you know is right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, where I had worked for many years. It's a very valuable spot. It is ripe for many different uses, some of which could be for the US government, some could be for other, and we've just begun the process of what could be with that particular property. So, we've committed no monies, we've committed no actions. We've only committed to we would we would uh collaborate with them to see the art of the possible on it.

[00:02:50]Well, uh eventually, I think they'll request some support, which will be paid for by the taxpayers, and uh I find that difficult to understand how we're subsidizing um a foreign government that I presume will want to use the hotel for commercial purposes as well as other purposes. Uh I'm I'm not so sure a hotel is necessarily in its future.

[00:03:16]Well, I again, I think there's great uncertainty of this project, and so uh we will continue to pursue oversight and uh your suggestion that you've committed to nothing suggests that if you're asked to do something, you will inform us at least. Is that a fair?

[00:03:33]Uh we've been asked to do nothing, sir.

[00:03:34]Yes.

[00:03:35]Well, you will inform us if you are asked.

[00:03:38]Sir, we will come back and give you updates on that project. Right. The other thing that GSA is doing now is uh assisting ICE by buying warehouses, which are being used to uh house [laughter] uh individuals who have been, uh, arrested by ICE.

[00:03:57]Uh, we are I don't think you've been authorized to do that. These, uh, uh, and it's a very problematic situation since there's been many complaints publicly about these facilities are not adequate to, uh, for the safety of those people who are incarcerated. So, do you have a a justification for doing that? So, let let me speak partially about this because I'm sure there's information I'm just not schooled up on.

[00:04:29]Our principal work with ICE has been on the, uh, identification and execution of leases for office space. It's not been for other purposes. They do have some of their own authorities to do things that they choose to do as well. So, my familiarity with it is on the office space side, um, and whatever other purposes would would be associated with that.

[00:04:50]So, could you just, uh, verify that that that that GSA >> put it back to your staff on that. Your GSA is [clears throat] not leasing, buying, purchasing warehouses for, uh, ICE and for the purposes of, uh, uh, We'll come back to your staff, sir.

[00:05:04]>> putting in place people. Thank you very much and thank you, Mr. Force. Thank you very much. Thank you, Senator.