President Obama's 2016 budget request includes $2.2 billion for the General Services Administration — about $900 million of that for renovations and the rest for new construction projects.
The agency would spend $380 million to continue the construction of the new Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Southeast Washington, D.C., which has stalled in recent years due to a lack of sufficient funding. The new funds would go toward completing perimeter security, an access road and a new road interchange near the facility.
The funding would also finish the renovations of the DHS Secretary's building as well as several administrative buildings and annexes, according to GSA.
GSA would also receive $227 million to help fund the first phase of the federal civilian cyber campus — made up of civilian employees focused on cyber activities. The agency would also get $85 million to build a new land port of entry in Columbus, New Mexico and $105 million for a land port of entry in Alexandria Bay, New York.
President Obama also proposes in the budget that GSA be given funds on a two-year cycle, for both fiscal 2016 and 2017, in order to ensure greater stability in construction projects and more certainty in the budgeting process.
GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini said in a statement that taxpayers would benefit by having cost and energy-efficient buildings as well as modern and security border stations and ports.
"Advanced funding for the federal buildings program will give GSA the ability to plan long-term, providing certainty to communities across the country with pending investment needs," Tangherlini said.
The budget request also includes funding for disposing federal facilities at NASA and the Agriculture Department's Forest Service, as well as $60 million to continue renovations at the Agriculture Department's headquarters.
The budget also requests $1.5 billion for construction projects at the Veterans Affairs Department – a $500 million increase over 2015 levels.
