Costs for deferred maintenance have more than doubled since 2017 to $370 billion. (Pictured is work through the U.S. Capitol Exterior Stone and Metal Preservation Project) Image: Architect of the Capitol.
By: FEDweek StaffThe GAO has said it added the condition of federal buildings to its most recent high-risk report because of the increase in deferred maintenance in federal buildings, saying that “Unless this trend reverses, federal assets will continue to deteriorate and need premature replacement, which can be significantly more expensive than the cost of repairs had they not been delayed.”
Management of federal real property has been on that list since 2003, a witness told a House hearing, but the cost for deferred maintenance increased from $216 billion in 2022 to $370 billion in 2024, and is more than double the $171 billion of 2017.
He also cited GAO findings from a 2023 report that four agencies it reviewed “did not fully communicate the potential costs of maintenance backlogs to Congress. For example, none of the agencies provided sufficient information in their financial and budget documents to explain how much of their backlog was for projects necessary to fulfilling agency missions.”
Other findings of recent years that contributed to building condition being considered a high risk, he said, included a 2023 report finding that military barracks “were in poor condition, including some with safety risks like sewage overflow and inoperable fire systems” and a 2024 inspector general report finding that the GSA “had not effectively monitored its maintenance contractors to ensure they implemented required maintenance and repairs,” with some work not having been completed even though records showed that it had been.
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