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Obama’s 2015 budget includes $1.7 billion to GSA for building construction, renovations

Obama’s 2015 budget includes $1.7 billion to GSA for building construction, renovations

GSA would fully use incoming rent funds to spend more than $1 billion for maintaining federal buildings


April 23, 2014

The Obama Administration has proposed $1.7 billion for construction, renovation, and repairs to federal buildings in fiscal year 2015 under the auspices of the U.S. General Services Administration.

In a press release, GSA said, “as a result of consecutive years of reduced funding, GSA’s portfolio of facilities have forgone more than $4 billion worth of capital improvements including major repairs and maintenance as well as critical additions to the inventory. While we have begun to make significant progress in addressing years of deferred repairs, there is still significant work to do in ensuring that our buildings can support the work of government in the 21st century.”

Under the proposed budget GSA would fully use incoming rent funds to spend more than $1 billion for maintaining federal buildings that need major renovations and basic repairs instead of diverting those funds to other uses. More than $745 million would be spent on nine construction projects including land ports of entry, office buildings, and courthouses.

About $100 million will go to consolidate agencies within existing federally owned space across the country to improve space utilization, optimize inventory, decrease reliance on leased space, increase energy and water conservation, and reduce the federal government’s footprint.

(http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/187295)

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