In a statement to WAMC, a spokesperson for the GSA said the office on Main Street in Poughkeepsie will reopen, and explained why other federal offices across the country are closing. The GSA says in part: “The GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization. A component of our space consolidation plan will be the termination of many soft term leases. To the extent these terminations affect public facing facilities and/or existing tenants, we are working with our agency partners to secure suitable alternative space.”
The Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment in time for broadcast.
The Poughkeepsie office closed at the end of January for what officials were told were temporary renovations at the time, but some lawmakers, including Congressman Pat Ryan and New York State Senator Rob Rolison, have worried the office may close for good as the Trump Administration works to cut spending across federal agencies.
Rolison, a Republican from the 39th District, says he’s pleased to hear the office will reopen.
“It’s great news, but what are the temporary office hours going to be?” he adds.
According to the SSA website, the office is offering limited in-person service Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It’s unclear if the GSA’s statement means the Poughkeepsie office is definitely safe. As of Thursday, the office is still included on a list of “lease cancellations” on the Department of Government Efficiency website, along with the hearing office in White Plains. The website says the Poughkeepsie lease is worth more than $350,000 a year, and set to expire at the end of July.
Amanda Bracco, a union representative with AFGE Local 3343, says Poughkeepsie management finally informed employees Tuesday that the office will have a new lease and fully reopen once renovations are complete. She says the work is long overdue, and meant to reconfigure the office’s floorplan to improve security. Over the past few weeks, however, she says there was little communication to quell fears of closure, and she still has a lot of anxiety.
“The people who would renew our lease, their components are changing," she says. "GSA is responsible for all the leases and the walkthroughs and the inspections before we move in, and they’re changing who’s there and who’s working there.”
Bracco says she and the other 20-plus employees recently started taking turns working in a small section of the office: they’ll have nearly 10 people on site, while the remaining staff take phone calls. She says not all services are available in person while renovations are under way, but right now, the office is seeing roughly 100 people a day.
“Before we were at 350, so [it's] a little bit less for us," she adds. "But still moving, moving and shaking.”
In White Plains, officials have made a last-ditch offer to the federal government: they’re willing to host the White Plains hearing office in a county-owned location, at a lower price. That office has been slated to close due to issues with its lease, according to officials. The DOGE website says the lease expires at the end of May, and is worth more than $500,000.
But Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, says the offer has fallen on deaf ears.
“Certainly we are working with both of our Congressional representatives. They’re working together to make sure the federal government was aware that the county offered to host them," he says. "We’re always ready to hear from the federal government, but we have not heard anything from them.”
Jenkins says a space within the county center in White Plains would be a perfect replacement for the current office, but even if the federal government isn’t pleased, there are three other county buildings in White Plains for them to choose from. The hearing office serves as a hub for SSA cases across the Hudson Valley, with the next-closest hearing offices being in the Bronx; New Haven, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey and Albany.
Jenkins says he’s still holding out hope the federal government will consider the offer.
“We want to do everything possible to assist and make sure that our constituents in Westchester County can continue to receive the services that they have earned and deserve," he says.
The full statement from the GSA reads:
"Acting Administrator Ehikian’s vision for GSA includes reducing our deferred maintenance liabilities, supporting the return to office of federal employees, and taking advantage of a stronger private/government partnership in managing the workforce of the future. GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization. A component of our space consolidation plan will be the termination of many soft term leases. To the extent these terminations affect public facing facilities and/or existing tenants, we are working with our agency partners to secure suitable alternative space. In many cases this will allow us to increase space utilization and obtain improved terms. Yes, the SSA office in Poughkeepsie will reopen in six months."
