Bedbugs, bad Wi-Fi: Federal workers say forced summer relocations have been chaos

Exclusive Bedbugs, bad Wi-Fi: Federal workers say forced summer relocations have been chaos August 3, 20265:00 AM ET Chiara Eisner Daniel Kim, a structural engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, says uncertainty about the planned relocation of the agency's New York District headquarters has already contributed to the loss of experienced staff. Shuran Huang for NPR hide caption toggle caption Shuran Huang for NPR For more than five decades, NASA occupied several floors of office space in Manhattan rented from Columbia University, where employees researched how warming temperatures could alter weather and climate. Last year, the Trump administration abruptly forced all NASA employees out of that office to save money, officials said. This year, it's asking employees to move into new spaces. But the government continues to pay millions annually in rent for the old space. NASA's move was part of a series of relocations launched by the Trump administration across at least six federal agencies that have continued through the summer. The relocations, agency leaders say, will reduce the government's real estate footprint, cut costs and decentralize operations away from the Washington, D.C. core. Sponsor Message But moving is costing the government money, an NPR review of public records shows, and federal workers say the relocations have been poorly coordinated and are causing work disruptions. The moves have also violated laws that require Congress to authorize relocations, according to two legal complaints filed in July against federal agencies and against senior leaders in the Trump administration. NASA used to occupy multiple floors in the Armstrong Hall building at Columbia University. Now those floors are empty, but the government is still paying rent. Shuran Huang for NPR hide caption toggle caption Shuran Huang for NPR "You're not supposed to be doing this," said Steve Gutierrez, a representative with the National Federation of Federal Employees, the union re...