by Brian J Rogal at Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump’s administration canceled the lease for the Barack Obama Presidential Library in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, one of many federal leases and contracts recently terminated, according to a list published by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
But the cancellation may have little impact. Federal officials who run the temporary facility said in mid-2024 that they planned to exit the lease and move the library to a permanent, out-of-state location this year.
Critics say it’s part of DOGE’s “slash and burn” strategy toward federal contracts and leases, either canceling many without necessary planning or inflating the amount of spending cuts by including contracts already paid off or expiring.
“It’s possible (DOGE) has some particular malice toward the real estate holding the archives for the last really popular two-term president,” said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and government contracting expert. “But it’s more likely that it’s fakery about unrealized savings, the same as in hundreds of other contracts.”
The DOGE announcements are part of a Trump administration plan to shed up to…
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