Responding to Congresswoman Pou, Federal Board Member Confirms They Did Not Recommend Selling Paterson Federal Building

March 5, 2025 Press Release Witness tells Pou that the list of 440 properties for disposal has been withdrawn WASHINGTON, DC – In a House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing this afternoon, Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09) assailed reported plans by the Trump administration to sell the Robert A. Roe Federal Building in Paterson, New Jersey, as well as hundreds of other federal buildings. In response, a witness representing the federal Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) said that his agency never recommended the Roe building to be sold . “The proposed sale of the Roe Building strikes me as totally nonsensical. And I will vigorously oppose it,” Congresswoman Pou said after pointing to a portrait on the wall of Congressman Roe, one of her predecessors in Congress . Pou also highlighted that the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a $5.8 million contract in October 2024 – less than six months ago – for renovations and repairs. That funding came from the Inflation Reduction Act. Facing direct questioning from Pou, a member of the Public Building Reform Board confirmed that the Roe Federal Building was not one targeted for sale by the PBRB, and also that the list of 440 properties leaked by the General Services Administration has been withdrawn at this time. ( Clip begins at 1:37:15.) The Robert A. Roe Federal Building is the only federal building in Paterson, New Jersey’s third largest city. It is the longtime home of popular offices for the IRS and Social Security Administration. The building is named for the longtime North Jersey Congressman who chaired the House Public Works Committee. ###