A recent audit by the General Accounting Office (GAO) revealed that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has had difficulty meeting the 60% occupancy requirement of legislation passed in 2023, which requires federal workplaces to have at least 60%. The GAO found that over 89% of the agency's offices are below 60% Occupation, including the DOT and FAA headquarters. The GAo estimates that 168 of the 189 Transportation Department buildings are underutilized, costing $370 million in annual rental, operations and maintenance costs. The report also highlighted that the General Services Administration managed more than 360 million square feet of space across more than 8,000 buildings in 2020. Former Sen. Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat, called the report “alarming” and said it was not a sustainable or fiscally responsible way to manage federal real estate.