Key Takeaways:
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ignored recommendations to reduce office space, wasting taxpayer money.
- Underutilized meeting rooms, a costly fitness center, and excessive office space contributed to the wasteful spending.
- The CPSC even signed leases without proper authority, adding to the financial misuse.
Unused Office Space Costs Taxpayers Millions
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is supposed to keep products safe for consumers. But according to a recent audit, the agency has been wasting taxpayer money on unused office space. Here’s what happened:
Underutilized Meeting Rooms
The CPSC headquarters has multiple meeting rooms that are rarely used. From May 2022 to June 2023, these rooms were reserved for just 51 hours out of a possible 4,860 hours. That’s less than 2% usage!
Three other meeting rooms were left mostly untouched for over three years, starting in March 2020. Additionally, the 12 conference rooms in the headquarters were reserved less than 7% of the time.
A Costly Fitness Center
The CPSC also pays $137,344 a year to lease a fitness center. But only 44 out of 477 employees use it at least once a month. Some employees might be using the facility just to access the restroom instead of working out.
To make matters worse, the CPSC could charge employees to use the fitness center, but taxpayers footed the entire bill instead.
Too Much Office Space
The CPSC owns three buildings in Maryland: its headquarters, a storage facility, and a testing center. But the agency has way more space than it needs. The inspector general found that 28,122 square feet of space in the headquarters is unnecessary.
If the CPSC stopped paying rent on this unused space, taxpayers could save $2.8 million annually. Each CPSC employee currently uses 219 square feet of office space, which is much more than the standard 150 square feet per person.
Ignoring Recommendations
Back in 2019, the General Services Administration (GSA) warned the CPSC that it should reduce its office space by 25,380 square feet. Doing so would save $3.9 million on its next lease. But the CPSC ignored this advice due to “poor internal controls.”
In 2021, three Directors of Facility Services at the CPSC signed leases worth $99 million, even though they had no authority to do so. This added to the financial mess.
A Bigger Problem in Government Spending
The CPSC is not the only federal agency wasting money on office space. Since 2021, the government has spent $4.6 billion on furniture, including items like leather recliners and solar-powered picnic tables. Much of this spending happened during the pandemic when most federal employees were working remotely.
Even after the pandemic, only 6% of federal employees were working in person every day in 2024. Yet, many agencies continue to pay for large offices and unused facilities.
Why This Matters
Government audits are meant to uncover waste and help agencies save money. But when agencies like the CPSC ignore these findings, taxpayer money goes down the drain. This is a clear example of how poor management and lack of accountability can lead to unnecessary spending.
Taxpayers deserve better. It’s time for federal agencies to take responsibility for how they use our money.
If you’re concerned about government waste, you can search federal, state, and local government spending at OpenTheBooks.com.
This article was republished with permission from RealClearInvestigations.
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