
Brett Watson
25:20 - 25:53
"probably the biggest category of growth though across all of these spending categories grew 150%, uh, was federal spending in contracts. So contracts are spending that the various federal agencies engage in. The largest federal agency that spends money in the state of Alaska is the Department of Department of Defense."
“probably the biggest category of growth though across all of these spending categories grew 150%, uh, was federal spending in contracts. So contracts are spending that the various federal agencies engage in. The largest federal agency that spends money in the state of Alaska is the Department of Department of Defense.”
- Speaker
- Brett Watson
- Timestamp
- 25:20 – 25:53
- Community
- Alaska News
- Location
- Alaska
- Captured at
- June 26, 2026
From the transcript
In 2023, the state of Alaska received about $4 billion in federal spending associated with all grants, but including importantly Medicaid. You see, probably the biggest category of growth though across all of these spending categories grew 150%, uh, was federal spending in contracts. So contracts are spending that the various federal agencies engage in. The largest federal agency that spends money in the state of Alaska is the Department of Department of Defense. Um, Bob laid out the presence of military spending across the state on the various military bases.
Related Coverage
Federal money built Alaska's recent growth — now it's receding fastest here
UAA economists say federal spending drove about half of Alaska's growth since 2015 — and the state is now losing federal workers faster than most, hitting rural areas hardest.
