The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has added another major cost-cutting measure to its list—terminating the lease on the Obama Presidential Library site in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. While the move is unlikely to affect operations in the short term, as the facility was already scheduled to close and relocate by late 2025, it underscores the Trump administration’s aggressive push to eliminate wasteful federal spending.
The library, which houses millions of unclassified documents and thousands of artifacts from the Obama administration, is operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Unlike the high-profile Obama Presidential Center currently under construction on Chicago’s South Side, the Hoffman Estates site was a federal facility, meaning its lease termination is part of DOGE’s broader initiative to shed unnecessary government properties.
DOGE’s latest list of lease terminations spans nearly 750 federal properties, totaling about 9.6 million square feet of government real estate. The administration estimates that eliminating these leases will save taxpayers a staggering $468 million in rent expenses.
According to a NARA spokesperson, the closure of the Hoffman Estates facility was already planned, with operations set to be transferred to College Park, Maryland, by the end of Fiscal Year 2025 (Sept. 30, 2025).
The Hoffman Estates library currently holds an estimated 25 million unclassified paper documents, all of which are in the process of being digitized for eventual access through the Obama Presidential Center. Additionally, 35,000 artifacts from the Obama years—including Barack Obama’s silver BlackBerry, a signed Pittsburgh Steelers football, a Saudi Arabian jeweled sword, and several dresses worn by Michelle Obama—will be transferred to Maryland, with some items expected to be loaned periodically to the Obama Center.
NARA began leasing the Hoffman Estates facility in 2016, paying $1.4 million per year in rent to Hoffman Estates Medical Development LLC, which owns the building. The facility, a former furniture showroom, was converted into a high-security, climate-controlled storage site for presidential records and artifacts.
Meanwhile, the privately funded Obama Presidential Center, which is overseen by the Obama Foundation, has been beset by delays, ballooning costs, and community opposition. Originally projected to cost $350 million, the budget had soared to $830 million by 2021, with no clear estimate of final costs.
The sprawling 19.3-acre complex, when completed, will feature:
- A 235-foot museum tower
- A branch of the Chicago Public Library
- Conference facilities
- A gymnasium and NBA-regulation basketball court
- Office space for the Obama Foundation
Despite the grand plans, the project has drawn criticism over its cost, slow progress, and the impact on the surrounding community in Jackson Park. Local activists have voiced concerns about rising housing prices and displacement due to the development, while construction delays have continued to push back its opening.
DOGE’s decision to terminate the Hoffman Estates lease aligns with President Trump’s broader effort to reduce the federal footprint and cut unnecessary spending. With the facility already set to close, the move was a logical next step, reinforcing Trump’s stance that government resources should be streamlined and redirected toward more efficient use.
