Congressman Shreve's Bill to Cut Wasteful Spending Advances to the House Floor

June 13, 2025

Washington, DC — Congressman Jefferson Shreve (IN-06) announced that his Courthouse Affordability & Space Efficiency (CASE) Act passed out of the Transportation & Infrastructure committee. It now advances to the House floor. His bill will eliminate costly inefficiencies in courthouse construction and operation — saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office found that federal courthouses were overbuilt by nearly 4 million square feet. That excess cost US taxpayers nearly $1 billion, and over $50 million annually in maintenance costs.

Mr. Shreve's bill optimizes courthouse space to better ensure that taxpayers are not paying many millions for empty space in our courthouses. The CASE Act requires a more efficient use of space by implementing courtroom-sharing policies for all judges. His bill mandates the GSA Administrator to utilize existing courthouse space before constructing new buildings within the same complex.

Representative Shreve said, "Congress is in charge of the purse strings. When there are millions of tax dollars wasted on unused federal space, it's our job to act. My bill ensures we optimize courthouse space to lessen the burden on our taxpayers. I'm thankful to have advanced this legislation to the House Floor."

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman, Sam Graves, said, “The Courts have a proven tendency to overbuild well beyond their actual courtroom space needs. The CASE Act will save taxpayers money by limiting the size of courthouses by directing the GSA to build only the necessary space in new courthouses to accommodate courtroom sharing. Our committee’s recent hearing on this concerning issue reinforced the need for this legislation, and I want to thank Congressman Shreve for his leadership on this common-sense bill."

Congressman Shreve can be viewed advancing his bill here.