Congressman Michael Cloud has recently addressed the issue of federal real estate inefficiencies through a series of social media posts. Known for representing Texas’ 27th district and having replaced Blake Farenthold in 2018, Cloud focused on a recent hearing held by the Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
On April 9, 2025, Congressman Cloud discussed a hearing titled “Federal Foreclosure: Reducing the Federal Real Estate Portfolio”. He highlighted the billions in taxpayer dollars annually wasted on unused and underutilized federal buildings, emphasizing the need to address this inefficiency.
In another post from April 9, 2025, Cloud pointed out a 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. According to the report, the federal government owns about 277,000 buildings, with operating and maintenance costs amounting to approximately $10.3 billion annually. The post stressed the need for sales, as mentioned by David Marroni of the GAO.
Further revealing the extent of the issue, Congressman Cloud detailed in an April 9, 2025 tweet that many of these buildings are underutilized or completely vacant. A House Oversight Committee report showed that 17 out of 24 federal agencies were only using between 9% and 49% of their office space, underscoring the inefficiency.
Michael Cloud, who hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was born in 1975. Currently residing in Victoria, he graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science.
