Diaz-Balart Statement on Waste of Over $800 Million in Taxpayers' Money on Unneeded Courthouse Construction

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee Ranking Member, today called the more than $800 million in tax dollars wasted on unnecessary courthouse construction an “appalling” example of government waste and mismanagement.

At a Congressional hearing today, the Subcommittee heard testimony from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is working to finalize a report on the multibillion-dollar courthouse construction initiative of the federal judiciary and the General Services Administration (GSA).

The following is Rep. Diaz-Balart’s statement:

“For almost two decades, this committee has been one of the few voices to question the size and scope of the courthouse program. We have argued for smaller courthouses, courtroom sharing by judges, and stronger GSA management of the program.

“Although we suspected courthouses were being overbuilt and courtrooms were largely unused, we never had the hard data to confirm our fears. Today the General Accountability Office is going to present its review of every courthouse constructed in the last ten years.

“The findings of government waste, mismanagement, and disregard for the congressional authorization process are appalling.

“First and foremost, there appears to be a complete breakdown in the management and oversight of courthouse planning and construction. As a result GSA built 3.5 million square feet of courthouses – costing taxpayers over $800 million dollars – which we do not need.

“According to GAO three factors led to this over building:

• GSA constructed courthouses that exceed authorized sizes;
• Overinflated projections of future judges; and
• A lack of courtroom sharing.

“Specifically, the GAO reviewed 33 courthouses built since 2000 and found that 28 exceeded their congressionally authorized size limits. Many of these exceeded the authorized size by 10% and some by as much as 50%. This resulted in an extra 1.7 million square feet of space.

“On top of the mismanagement, the courts continue to base their space decisions on projections that have been shown to be unreliable. Another 887,000 square feet of unneeded space was built because the U.S. courts’ model for projecting the number of future judges overestimated judges by 35%. For example, in 1995 the Long Island, New York courthouse had 14 judges and the courts estimated 25 judges by 2005. After building a brand new courthouse, there are now only 15 judges at the courthouse.

“And, today, the courts continue to base their space decisions on bad projections despite nearly two decades of failed experience.

“Finally, yet more space and money could have been saved had the courts instituted a courtroom sharing policy. A sharing model developed by the GAO clearly indicates that sharing could have reduced the number of courtrooms by about 40% or 950,000 square feet of space. These estimates are based on the court’s own data of courtroom usage, including cancelled events and non-judicial ceremonial uses.

“We hold a trust for the American people and it seems that trust has been broken.

“Courthouses have been built too big for too long and for far more money than was needed. While it is important for the judiciary to have appropriate space to carry out its constitutional functions, we also must ensure that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”