Hundreds of federal buildings, some of them historic, are on the auction block as part of DOGE’s effort to privatize everything possible

Elon Musk, Donald Trump and cabinet members (Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

• The federal government is reportedly moving to sell off hundreds of office buildings it owns and then lease them back. While the deal could provide a short-term infusion of cash, it’s a long-term loser for the taxpayer, experts told Fortune. 

The Trump administration is pushing to privatize "anything that can reasonably be privatized," in the words of Tesla CEO and White House official Elon Musk. And part of that privatization now involves a tactic beloved by private equity: Selling federally owned buildings, then renting them back to the government.