US Army Corps of Engineers Ordered to Abandon Its NYC Offices for Costly Commercial Office Space in NJ By the End Of 2026
The move will cost taxpayers more, jeopardize projects and endanger citizens. Labor unions, USACE personnel, and a bipartisan group in Congress all ask: Why?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK - The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 98, which represents U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York District (NAN) and North Atlantic Division (NAD) workers, held a press conference in front of the USACE NAN office at 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278, at 12 PM on May 27th, 2026. IFPTE Local 98 was joined by the New York City Central Labor Council (NYC CLC) and IFPTE Local 777, which represents USACE Chicago District workers, to oppose an order by Assistant Secretary of the Army Adam Telle to abandon USACE New York City offices and move to a commercial new space in New Jersey by the end of the year. Raw Video of the Press Conference is here.
“The Army Corps of Engineers plays a critical role in our region, doing tremendous work on coastal resiliency, flood control, dredging and navigational channel maintenance and many other crucial environmental projects.” said Rep. Meng. “My team and I have worked with the agency, and we’ve seen their efforts firsthand. I am deeply concerned about this proposed relocation and the impact it would have on USACE employees, staffing losses, higher costs and many of the important ongoing and future projects that the Army Corps is undertaking. I stand with the workers of IFPTE Local 98.”
“The Army Corps of Engineers has a history with New York City that predates the founding of this nation. Uprooting the office, creating hardship for the workers and a disadvantage for the region makes no sense,” said NYC-CLC, AFL-CIO President Brendan Griffith after the press conference. “We stand in solidarity with the workers of the Army Corps of Engineers to keep the office in New York City, and to ensure the many vital projects requiring their expertise proceed on-time and efficiently.”
Members of Congress also sent statements to be read at the press conference by the speakers.
“The men and women of IFPTE Local 98 and the Army Corps of Engineers protect our Long Island communities, infrastructure, and coastlines, and relocating their New York office out of New York will drive out experienced staff, stall projects taxpayers have already funded, and waste public money. It’s common sense that these hardworking, talented public servants work near where their projects are located,” said Congressman Nick LaLota.
“I stand with IFPTE Local 98 in opposing this misguided decision,” said Rep. Gillen. “Relocating these offices would do nothing but increase costs and harm New Yorkers, forcing Army Corps employees into longer commutes or to leave their jobs. Long Islanders should be able to work on critical Army Corps projects that will protect the South Shore for generations without subsidizing private landlords with their hard-earned tax dollars. I will continue pressing the Administration to reverse course on this decision.”
“The Army Corps of Engineers plays a critical role in our region, doing tremendous work on coastal resiliency, flood control, dredging and navigational channel maintenance and many other crucial environmental projects.” said Rep. Meng. “My team and I have worked with the agency, and we’ve seen their efforts firsthand. I am deeply concerned about this proposed relocation and the impact it would have on USACE employees, staffing losses, higher costs and many of the important ongoing and future projects that the Army Corps is undertaking. I stand with the workers of IFPTE Local 98.”
IFPTE Local 98 President, Daniel Kim, speaking with IFPTE Local 98 Members. Copyright NYC-CLC
In a statement after the press conference, Representative Goldman stated, “The Trump administration’s unilateral decision to relocate the New York District and North Atlantic Division of the Army Corps of Engineers to New Jersey is senseless and would undermine the Corps’ ability to address critical issues regarding national security, infrastructure, water quality, and more in a timely and effective manner. It is a costly, wasteful, and disruptive decision that benefits nobody. That’s why today I’m standing with IFPTE in opposition to this senseless choice, and why in March I joined Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and several of my House colleagues in calling on the Trump administration to reverse course. New York City and my district have long been home to the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Trump administration has provided no sound reason that that should change.”
Despite allegations of partisanship in this issue, IFPTE Local 98 insists that this is a bipartisan issue as evidenced by elected officials from both sides of the aisle pushing against the rushed and short-sighted decision.
In one letter to Telle and Secretary Hegseth, all New York Congressional Republicans representing USACE’s New York District urged “reconsideration of any potentially disruptive move out of the current headquarters.”
“Any hastily constructed proposal that has the potential to jeopardize the stellar workforce of these teams is unacceptable to us and should not proceed,” wrote Reps. Lalota, Garbarino, Malliotakis, Lawler, and Stefanik.
In an earlier bipartisan letter, both of New York’s senators expressed their opposition and three additional members of the House questioned “the wisdom in redirecting rent payments to a private lessor” and cautioned that the proposed move will “ultimately mean stakeholders have less insight into the Corps’ work and fewer opportunities to weigh in on the Corps' decision-making.”
IFPTE Local 777 President, Colin Smalley, speaking on the national implications of this move. Copyright Federal Unionists Network
Full copies of both letters are attached to this release, and all letters sent to Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Telle, and General Services Administrator Ed Forst are available here.
This decision was unexpectedly announced earlier this year to employees at the New York District and North Atlantic Division (NAD) and has the potential to upend the civil office responsible for critical dredging, coastal resilience, and emergency response projects. Attempting to uproot over 400 civilian employees in a rushed relocation, according to a Union survey, would lead to 45% of New York State-based employees to leave USACE if the office were relocated to New Jersey. It was also reported that 39% of New Jersey State-based employees would leave USACE if the office is moved to Jersey City. The original memo by Telle also directly pointed to the Chicago and Los Angeles Districts as other examples where the rent is too high.
IFPTE Local 98 Vice President, Monica Coniglio, discusses why the Army Corps moving out of NYC will result in “decades of expertise, institutional knowledge, and public service” being driven out of the workforce. Copyright NYC-CLC
“Everyone in USACE is looking at this impending move in New York. If decisions like this can be made recklessly and openly here, they can — and will — be made everywhere.” said Colin Smalley, President of IFPTE Local 777.
USACE NAN and NAD workers also quickly pointed out that moving the offices to a commercial space in New Jersey will actually increase costs due to the accelerated moving fees, the $4-$5 million in renovation costs owed to GSA, and the fact that currently the rent that the Agency pays goes to the U.S. treasury rather than a private lessor.
A rushed “Request For Lease” (RLP) has been closed since April 27, and USACE management will announce a site location to personnel on June 15, with an office location and amenities specified, circumventing congressional oversight and an explicit clause in the IFPTE Local 98 contract requiring the union’s participation in all pre-decisional office relocation discussions, a clause designed to represent worker interests and efficiently flag potential hazards and legal issues for USACE.
FOIA requests submitted by IFPTE Local 98 suggest that USACE management failed to properly justify the move from a cost-savings or regulatory standpoint, including a failure to conduct comprehensive market research or engage with the GSA. (See all FOIA documents received by IFPTE Local 98 here).
In addition to the survey conducted by IFPTE Local 98, the survey conducted by USACE confirmed that a significant portion of the workforce’s commutes would be significantly longer and costlier due to this move. Even without the current hiring freeze in the federal sector, this move would make future recruiting efforts east of the Hudson River significantly more difficult. The expected employee attrition would cause negative ripple effects to USACE public services such as:
Dredging, Locks & Dam Operations, and Navigational Channel Maintenance USACE ensures safe and accessible waterways for the shipping industries to use the Hudson River and the busiest port in the East Coast. This gives American businesses and citizens access to goods both domestic and foreign.
Coastal Resiliency and Flood Protection Not only do USACE projects provide construction jobs and new opportunities for local businesses, they also provide protection to communities such as Bound Brook, NJ and Long Beach, NY from extreme storms. Furthermore, some USACE projects in the New York District are providing a blueprint for resiliency projects nationwide.
Emergency Response USACE personnel responded quickly to disasters such as 9/11, when the Corps ferried people to safety and helped with handling the debris at Ground Zero. USACE personnel’s presence, expertise, and knowledge of the local community proved to be crucial.
USACE has had a presence in New York City since 1775 when it built earthworks under the orders of George Washington in defense of the city against the British. Over the past 251 years, USACE has continued to defend New York from the construction of forts and flood barriers to the recovery efforts after the country’s darkest moments.
The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. IFPTE, represents 90,000 highly skilled workers in both the public and private sectors. The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. More information can be found at IFPTE.org.
IFPTE Local 98 represents nearly 400 workers in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District and North Atlantic Division. More Information can be found at IFPTE98.ORG.
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Download a PDF of this press release here.
Read the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, coverage of the press event here.