mr. peck? >> yes, sir. the record is a public benefit conveyance is that we have done, which accounts or something like 13, 15% of the disposals we are done in the last number of years, fewer than something like 5% of those have actually gone to the homeless. so, it's not a huge number. we should put that back in our mind. second, the administration's proposal suggests in the course of come up with a lesser properties to be disposed of, the board would consider those properties that are likely to be useful to the homeless. i suspect it would be done in consultation with homeless groups. i think we have already, we have at least begun thinking about how we balance those issues you're talking about. >> mr. sullivan, any thoughts? >> mr. chairman, i believe in the va, our moral imperative is to ensure that no matter what real property action we take, that has a positive direct benefit on veterans and their families. number one. number two, that we fulfill our mission in terms of medical, cemetery

mr. peck and i sit on the committee. one of the main objectives of the committee is to create a set of objectives. we did not want them showing up to an empty office. if you approach it this way or if you approach it that way. there is a lot of slicing and dicing. >> that is probably right for setting up the board. if we knew we were getting legislation and if the legislation were passed, we would be able to present the board at its first organizational meeting with a first cut at the property. in 18 months, shortly after they meet, they would be able to start making the decisions we would like them to make so that we could start moving properties through the pipeline. >> the last question i will prowl we asked will be of mr. wise. i will telegraph my question. if you were in our shoes, you are an independent watchdog agency. here is my question. if you were sitting on this side instead of at the witness table, what would you do? it is a pretty simple question. do not answer it gets. if you were sitting up here -- yet.ot

mr peck, welcome. >> i want to thank you and the committee for its interest on this issue and also that of members in the house of representatives who have moved some proposals and we are in support of the administration's proposal. if i could i would like to brag a little bit because sometimes there's a sense that no one in the government is thinking of real property asset management and i can tell you in the -- >> you don't know how pleasant it is to hear the administrator of the federal agency brad. >> we manage three hundred seventy million square feet. >> this will count against your time. >> thank you. half of it is less than 3% of our portfolio vacant by any measure that you use. we do take a look at the inventory that gsa controls and modernized buildings where they make sense and manage them where doesn't. we dispose of 200 gsa properties valued at $467 million and covering 9.5 million square feet but just as important that eliminated $484 million in future anticipated repair needs. there's cost avoidance as well. at the risk of making things complicated before a come back to m

mr. president, is coming on the heels of an announcement last week that venezuela, libya, and iran will block owe p*e peck from produce -- opec from producing more oil to relieve gasoline prices, we continue to be held more and more hostage every single day by our addiction to foreign oil. in fact, we send $1 billion a day outside of the united states to purchase foreign oil. a billion dollars every single day to purchase foreign oil. the ethanol industry which now represents about 10% of the fuel mix in this country displaces displaces $445 million barrels of oil every single year. that is the equivalent of of $34 billion that we don't send overseas. $445 million barrels of oil displaced every single year, year, $34 billion that we don't have to spend purchasing foreign oil. and so this is an issue that has a direct bearing, mr. president, on the issue of energy independence, the issue of continuing this -- what i think is a very dangerous dependence upon foreign sources of energy, foreign oil, and has a direct bearing as well on the price that consumers in this country pay at the pump. clearly, if you t