The Now Removed Non-Core Properties List Included Fergus Falls Courthouse

The Trump Administration released a list of more than 440 federal buildings that could be sold as part of its massive government cuts program, only to remove the list from the General Services Administration (GSA) website on Wednesday.

The list appeared online on Tuesday, with the GSA designating the buildings as “non-core properties” that are suitable for sale so “that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces.” As of Wednesday, the list has been removed, and now states it is “coming soon.”

The initial list included the Indian Health Service office in Bemidji, two Social Security Administration offices, and the Edward J. Devitt U.S. Courthouse in Fergus Falls.

The potential closure of the federal courthouse in Fergus Falls has caught the attention of both Minnesota senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. They say the closure could undermine public safety and access to justice in the western part of the state. Smith and Klobuchar have sent a letter to the GSA administrator and director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to highlight their concerns. In the letter, it’s noted the Fergus Falls courthouse is the only federal courthouse outside the Twin Cities and Duluth. It also is home to the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Probation Office.