Congress sharply cut back on infrastructure funding for the federal prison system in fiscal 2024 even though maintenance needs have ballooned and a federal watchdog says the system is in critical need of more resources.
The head of the federal Bureau of Prisons told Congress last month that the agency has a maintenance and repair backlog of about $3 billion.
Congress, in the six-bill fiscal 2024 package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month, appropriated $179.8 million to the system’s buildings and facilities account — a 38 percent cut from the $290 million the system received in the prior fiscal year.
