Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse Call On Trump Administration to Address DOGE Cancellations of Leases for Colorado Land and Natural Resource Management Facilities

Apr 8, 2025|Press Releases
Washington, D.C.— Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, alongside Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse, called on U.S. General Services Administration Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian to address the Trump Administration’s plans to terminate nearly twenty federal leases throughout Colorado. The cancellations are part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) nationwide cuts to federal agencies and mass terminations of federal employees.
“We write requesting immediate clarification regarding recent announcements from the Administration on the planned termination of nearly twenty facility leases in Colorado. These lease cancellations include facilities for federal land and natural resource management agencies, which play an integral role in the federal government’s resilience to wildfire, response to drought, and management of our public lands,”wroteBennet, Hickenlooper, and Neguse.
DOGE’s list of lease terminations affects over 350,000 square feet of office space in Colorado, including U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service facilities in Fort Collins, Bureau of Reclamation facilities in Durango, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife facilities in Grand Junction, among others. In their letter, the lawmakers argue that the office closures will threaten Colorado’s ability to combat wildfires and drought.
“As federal agencies, states, and local communities work to prepare for heightened wildfire and drought risk during the warmer summer months ahead, we are extremely concerned about the risk that the closure of USFS or Department of Interior (DOI) facilities in Colorado could result in a decrease of our state’s wildfire preparedness, ability to respond to drought conditions, and react to other threats to public safety,”continued the lawmakers.
Colorado has experienced devastating wildfires in recent years. 2020 and 2021 had among the largest and most destructive wildfires in state history, including the Cameron Peak Fire, East Troublesome Fire, and Marshall Fire.
In their letter, the lawmakers also noted uncertainty around the status of federal leases listed on the DOGE website and demanded increased transparency in the decision-making process and rollout of lease terminations.
“We are deeply concerned by the lack of transparency in this decision-making process and rollout, where facilities were listed for cancellation without explanation and have been added and removed without notification. Given the recent terminations of GSA staff in the Public Buildings Service, we are also concerned that these cancellations have been proposed without proper oversight, coordination with affected agencies, and evaluation for how critical services will be maintained,”continued the lawmakers.
The text of the letter is availableHEREand below.
Dear Acting Administrator Ehikian,
We write requesting immediate clarification regarding recent announcements from the Administration on the planned termination of nearly twenty facility leases in Colorado. These lease cancellations include facilities for federal land and natural resource management agencies, which play an integral role in the federal government’s resilience to wildfire, response to drought, and management of our public lands.
As you are aware, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced the cancellation of hundreds of leases managed by the General Services Administration (GSA) for federal buildings across the United States, including over 350,000 square feet of office space in Colorado. This includes U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) facilities in Fort Collins, Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) facilities in Durango, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) facilities in Grand Junction, among others.
Colorado is home to 12 national forests and over 24 million acres of public land. Colorado and western states continue to face the threat of devastating drought and wildfire, and federal agencies support critical wildfire mitigation, suppression, and recovery efforts to maintain the health of our nation’s landscapes and reduce risk for our communities. As federal agencies, states, and local communities work to prepare for heightened wildfire and drought risk during the warmer summer months ahead, we are extremely concerned about the risk that the closure of USFS or Department of Interior (DOI) facilities in Colorado could result in a decrease of our state’s wildfire preparedness, ability to respond to drought conditions, and react to other threats to public safety.
As one particularly concerning example, DOGE’s list of terminations includes the Supervisor’s Office for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest in Fort Collins. Closure of that facility would directly affect wildfire emergency operations during an active wildfire, including dispatch and incident command. This facility also supports important research that makes us more resilient to wildfire. The decision to terminate this lease would have detrimental effects not just for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, but for nearby communities.
The State of Colorado is also a world-renowned hub for research and innovation, with many federal and non-federal partner institutions conducting critical work to support resource and national park protection, weather forecasting, public safety, disaster mitigation, drought response, and more. Other leases proposed for cancellation by DOGE include the NPS Natural Resources Stewardship and Science Office in Fort Collins, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) facilities in Boulder, a BOR facility in Durango, and USFWS facilities in Grand Junction. Terminating these facility leases and others across the state of Colorado would be detrimental to our shared duty to responsibly manage our public lands, provide for the safety of visitors, and further critical science and research efforts.
There is significant uncertainty around the status of federal leases that are listed on the DOGE website, and when these lease cancellations will take place. We are deeply concerned by the lack of transparency in this decision-making process and rollout, where facilities were listed for cancellation without explanation and have been added and removed without notification. Given the recent terminations of GSA staff in the Public Buildings Service, we are also concerned that these cancellations have been proposed without proper oversight, coordination with affected agencies, and evaluation for how critical services will be maintained.
We therefore request immediate answers to the following questions:
In addition to answers to these questions, we request advanced notification and briefing of our offices for any lease terminations or federal real property disposal in Colorado. We thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.
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