The Veach-Baley Federal complex in Asheville has appeared on a list of government facilities slated for sale or closure. (Photo: National Centers for Environmental Information)
As the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) works to slash contracts, grants, and leases around the country, North Carolina is set to lose more than 20 U.S. government facilities.
Those losses — largely in the form of leases DOGE says it has terminated — include Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service offices, court buildings, and environmental and agricultural posts around the state. While the agency lists some as transferred to federal spaces, others are described as permanently closed.
The Elon Musk-led advisory group lists the properties on a public savings tracker, where it takes credit for 748 lease terminations around the U.S., amounting to an estimated $468 million in government funding. It lists 20 offices in North Carolina to be shuttered, totaling $376,920 in savings.
Separately, the General Services Administration previously identified three North Carolina federal buildings for “disposal” in a list of properties that has since been taken down — a federal courthouse in Greenville, the Veach-Baley Federal Complex in Asheville, and a U.S. Postal Service vehicle maintenance facility in Raleigh. Whether those properties are still set to be sold remains unclear, as the webpage now states a list is “coming soon.”
The DOGE website shows four Social Security Administration offices set for closure around the state, in Roanoke Rapids, Elizabeth City, Franklin, and Greenville — as the agency sheds thousands of employees and Republican lawmakers battle accusations that benefits are under threat. Also set to be terminated are leases for IRS offices in Wilmington and Fayetteville, Equal Opportunity Commission offices in Greensboro and Raleigh, and National Resource Conservation Service facilities in Greensboro and Goldsboro.
Disaster relief efforts could also be impacted by DOGE closures. According to the website, a warehouse operated by the Wilmington branch of the U.S. Civil Corps of Engineers is set to be shuttered — the agency has played a major role in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, removing millions of cubic yards of storm debris from roads, waterways, and private properties.
The Wilmington Star-News reported that the warehouse lease was set to be terminated prior to DOGE’s involvement, however, raising questions about how much of a role Musk’s agency has played in the other closures. According to the New York Times, DOGE has repeatedly revised its website to correct errors stemming from inflated claims about billions in government savings from cut contracts.
Also playing a role in relief is the Farm Service Agency, which is losing offices in Hendersonville and Wilkesboro as it works to disburse billions in recovery funds to farmers in the western part of the state. In a statement to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) said the office may move to a new location and indicated the current facility would remain in operation until August.
The cuts come amid legal challenges and public outcry over Musk’s extensive role in the Trump administration, with opponents arguing DOGE wields unconstitutional authority. In a cabinet meeting Thursday, President Donald Trump told cabinet officials that Musk does not have the power to unilaterally fire their employees, Politico reported.
“DOGE has been an incredible success, and now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after the meeting. “It’s very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people.”