
Brett Watson
28:01 - 28:23
"if you think about the difference in our GDP between 2015 and 2023, our state's economy grew by $16.5 billion. Well, federal spending grew by just under $9 billion, meaning half of the growth in our total GDP, both our basic GDP and all of our non-basic GDP, all the money sloshing around in the bucket, not just the new money coming into the bucket."
“if you think about the difference in our GDP between 2015 and 2023, our state's economy grew by $16.5 billion. Well, federal spending grew by just under $9 billion, meaning half of the growth in our total GDP, both our basic GDP and all of our non-basic GDP, all the money sloshing around in the bucket, not just the new money coming into the bucket.”
- Speaker
- Brett Watson
- Timestamp
- 28:01 – 28:23
- Community
- Alaska News
- Location
- Alaska
- Captured at
- June 26, 2026
From the transcript
So if you think about the difference in our GDP between 2015 and 2023, our state's economy grew by $16.5 billion. Well, federal spending grew by just under $9 billion, meaning half of the growth in our total GDP, both our basic GDP and all of our non-basic GDP, all the money sloshing around in the bucket, not just the new money coming into the bucket.
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.
