President Donald Trump’s administration canceled the lease for the Barack Obama Presidential Library in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, one of many federal leases and contracts recently terminated, according to a list published by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
But the cancellation may have little impact. Federal officials who run the temporary facility said in mid-2024 that they planned to exit the lease and move the library to a permanent, out-of-state location this year.
Critics say it’s part of DOGE’s “slash and burn” strategy toward federal contracts and leases, either canceling many without necessary planning or inflating the amount of spending cuts by including contracts already paid off or expiring.
“It’s possible (DOGE) has some particular malice toward the real estate holding the archives for the last really popular two-term president,” said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and government contracting expert. “But it’s more likely that it’s fakery about unrealized savings, the same as in hundreds of other contracts.”
The DOGE announcements are part of a Trump administration plan to shed up to half of all government office space across the nation, leased and owned, while also shrinking the federal workforce. Trump officials say the effort will prune hundreds of billions in spending and curtail fraud.
Musk has made a big splash over the past month, announcing the cancellation of thousands of federal contracts and hundreds of leases.
But nearly 40% of the nearly 2,300 announced contract terminations won’t cut spending, according to administration data examined by The Associated Press, mostly because the funds were already spent or committed.
“Not only can I not see how they’re going to save any money, but it just strikes me as amateur hour,” Tiefer said.
The Barack Obama Presidential Library is in an unassuming building near the intersection of Golf and Barrington roads, surrounded by shopping malls and is not open to the public.
The National Archives and Records Administration, which controls official presidential libraries and records, began leasing the building in 2016, paying $1.4 million each year in rent, according to the General Services Administration, which runs the government’s real estate portfolio.
Hoffman Estates Medical Development LLC bought the former furniture showroom at 2500 W. Golf Road in 2011 for $2.45 million, and in 2016 secured a $6.4 million mortgage, county records show. About $5 million was spent transforming it into a fortified, climate-controlled facility.
NARA uses it as temporary storage for tens of millions of documents, classified records and more than 35,000 artifacts and gifts accumulated by the Obama family during the eight years Obama held office. Family keepsakes include a jeweled sword from Saudi Arabia, dresses worn by Michelle Obama at inaugural ceremonies and a baseball signed by the 2010 San Francisco Giants.
The $830 million Obama Presidential Center, currently under construction in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood and set to open in 2026, is run by the Barack Obama Foundation, a separate, privately funded organization, according to foundation spokesperson Emily Bittner.
www.chicagotribune.com
But the cancellation may have little impact. Federal officials who run the temporary facility said in mid-2024 that they planned to exit the lease and move the library to a permanent, out-of-state location this year.
Critics say it’s part of DOGE’s “slash and burn” strategy toward federal contracts and leases, either canceling many without necessary planning or inflating the amount of spending cuts by including contracts already paid off or expiring.
“It’s possible (DOGE) has some particular malice toward the real estate holding the archives for the last really popular two-term president,” said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and government contracting expert. “But it’s more likely that it’s fakery about unrealized savings, the same as in hundreds of other contracts.”
The DOGE announcements are part of a Trump administration plan to shed up to half of all government office space across the nation, leased and owned, while also shrinking the federal workforce. Trump officials say the effort will prune hundreds of billions in spending and curtail fraud.
Musk has made a big splash over the past month, announcing the cancellation of thousands of federal contracts and hundreds of leases.
But nearly 40% of the nearly 2,300 announced contract terminations won’t cut spending, according to administration data examined by The Associated Press, mostly because the funds were already spent or committed.
“Not only can I not see how they’re going to save any money, but it just strikes me as amateur hour,” Tiefer said.
The Barack Obama Presidential Library is in an unassuming building near the intersection of Golf and Barrington roads, surrounded by shopping malls and is not open to the public.
The National Archives and Records Administration, which controls official presidential libraries and records, began leasing the building in 2016, paying $1.4 million each year in rent, according to the General Services Administration, which runs the government’s real estate portfolio.
Hoffman Estates Medical Development LLC bought the former furniture showroom at 2500 W. Golf Road in 2011 for $2.45 million, and in 2016 secured a $6.4 million mortgage, county records show. About $5 million was spent transforming it into a fortified, climate-controlled facility.
NARA uses it as temporary storage for tens of millions of documents, classified records and more than 35,000 artifacts and gifts accumulated by the Obama family during the eight years Obama held office. Family keepsakes include a jeweled sword from Saudi Arabia, dresses worn by Michelle Obama at inaugural ceremonies and a baseball signed by the 2010 San Francisco Giants.
The $830 million Obama Presidential Center, currently under construction in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood and set to open in 2026, is run by the Barack Obama Foundation, a separate, privately funded organization, according to foundation spokesperson Emily Bittner.
DOGE says it's closing Hoffman Estates' Obama Presidential Library site
Federal officials who run the temporary facility said in mid-2024 that they planned to exit the lease and move the Barack Obama Presidential Library to a permanent, out-of-state location this year.
www.chicagotribune.com
