Public Works Administration

Public Works Administration (PWA), in U.S. history, New Deal government agency (1933–39) designed to reduce unemployment and increase purchasing power through the construction of highways and public buildings. Authorized by the National Industrial Recovery Act (June 1933), the Public Works Administration (PWA) was set up by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt under the administration of his secretary of the interior, Harold L. Ickes. During its existence, the PWA spent about $4 billion in the construction of...