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“CMS was not aware this was happening, and we didn’t submit or approve any of our current office locations being on this list,” the email, sent to all CMS employees, continued. “The list has been removed from GSA’s website and we are in active discussions with HHS to ensure we have the facilities we need to fully return to the office in-person and continue performing our critical mission. We apologize for the additional and unnecessary stress and anxiety this may have caused.”

The GSA pulled the list from the internet Wednesday morning after it had garnered attention. The webpage now says a complete list of buildings that could be sold is “coming soon.”

A CMS employee told NBC News they discussed the GSA list with their team ahead of the emailed announcement amid the confusion. 

“The general sense is that we as federal employees are being kept in the dark, so we need to look for this kind of information on our own time,” this person said.

The list was published as Trump’s U.S. DOGE Service, guided by billionaire ally Elon Musk, has sought to dramatically slash costs and has targeted federal leases as an area that could prove fruitful to the cost-cutting venture. But that effort comes as DOGE has called for virtually all federal employees to return to offices full time. As is, the vast majority of federal employees work far from the Beltway, and many federal buildings in cities outside the nation’s Capitol were included among those that were being considered for sale.

A GSA official who served under both Trump and former President Joe Biden told NBC News that both administrations contributed to the “non-core” properties list. This person said GSA is looking to consolidate the workforce into fewer, higher-quality buildings.