Deal on 2015 budget slashes most federal construction spending
By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editors
The $1.1 trillion funding bill for fiscal year 2015 approved by Congress makes deep cuts in some construction programs, but the General Services Administration suffered just a short haircut by comparison.
The GSA, which owns and manages most non-military federal buildings, is on the books for a $255 million cut in 2015, but compared to 2014, the $1.3 billion for construction is still more than the funding received in 2011, 2012 and 2013 combined. The GSA’s construction and acquisition account remains steady in 2015 at over $500 million. The reduction in 2015 funding will come largely from the major repairs and alterations account.
Total funding for federal construction accounts tracked by the Associated General Contractors of America is over $106 billion for 2015. This represents a nearly $5 billion cut from 2014 levels.
Military construction accounts are in line for steep cuts. Overall, military construction funds will be cut by $3 billion (40%) in 2015 compared to 2014 levels.