[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},"mediaId",6084754,"mediaKeyId","2907876-3b5a75955180ec86ae97817ddb24da98","parentId",2907876,"title","Library of Congress seeks $946.2 million for FY2026 to expand digital collections, preservation and copyright modernization","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1164000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907876-3b5a75955180ec86ae97817ddb24da98&start=1164&end=1164","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907876-3b5a75955180ec86ae97817ddb24da98/thumbnail_1164000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6084754/Library-of-Congress-seeks-9462-million-for-FY2026-to-expand-digital-collections-preservation-and-copyright-modernization","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084754-6eac5f89e7a1ddf59283f0e2c3b7d172/orig.mp4?Expires=1773674252&Signature=oaMTp4Gy6TaRZcw~6DmcOgnIGryBxwXQoJXOO12lu0of6Xy7iflphjvtriSCQttF8q0d9Jqestckhaky4iogA26a0wZtPphHZnl8eWwMh1DuOtKAtemCj1K4a8BSft6~1RJvBlUYxBHhJgqgo0S34tGAYHXt~SIOZ-SnnhCqAvBasHEXoGtgoe9avYZzlzQRwCpi0iOtxgPs-Oq9vD1MqhdBxD~YhqGPk~C3FVqWvAWA33rkKfFgJPstxqMf-LW8MIAE4SucaLDOpqh~OMXOmHWB9ojkK2F7DJglonkgny7R29c3Xtzgd1ej-0ogO-VitkqFUXfpJbfnI0wr5N~BKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Appropriations","date","2025-04-09T03:02:08Z","article","Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden told a House Appropriations subcommittee that the Library’s fiscal 2026 appropriations request totals $946.2 million and focuses on digital modernization, preservation and service to Congress. \"The mission of the Library of Congress is to engage, inspire, and inform the Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity. And above all, the library exists to serve,\" Dr. Hayden said in her opening remarks.

Hayden described three programmatic requests in the FY2026 package: $5.4 million for preservation object storage upgrades, $2.5 million annually for web application delivery and management improvements, and $6.8 million over three years for the U.S. Copyright Office to accelerate the registration component of the Enterprise Copyright System. She said the library also requests $30.9 million for mandatory pay and price‑level increases.

The librarian emphasized the library’s digital expansion and the workload growth behind it. \"We produced in fiscal 2023 12,700,000 digital images,\" Dr. Hayden said, noting that digital usage and web traffic have grown substantially since 2019. She described an \"e‑preferred\" strategy to provide material in digital formats and said the library revised programmatic increases to reduce long‑term costs amid current economic conditions.

Members questioned Hayden about a cybersecurity incident last year. She told the committee the library took cybersecurity seriously, engaged vendors, and \"the threat actors are not in our environment at this point,\" adding that the agency had sought and received reassurances from multiple vendors that the threat had been alleviated.

Hayden warned that if requested funds are not provided, the most immediate consequence would be a reduction in buying power for materials and pressure on staff retention and modernization work. She said the library would try to avoid cutting cybersecurity work even if other programmatic requests were reduced.

The hearing also featured testimony from Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, and Karen Donfried, Director of the Congressional Research Service. Donfried, who recently returned to CRS leadership after previously serving as an analyst, said CRS is experiencing heightened demand: \"we are really busy\" and staff across the service see \"an increase of about 30% or so of requests.\" She added that CRS fields about 75,000 requests annually and urged support for a programmatic increase to enhance quantitative data‑analysis capacity and effective use of new tools, including AI.

Donfried described a strategic goal of ensuring \"that Congress turns to CRS first,\" noting competition for staff attention from public search tools and AI. Committee members asked how CRS would remain a trusted source and how resources would be applied to strengthen data analytics in support of congressional policy work.

Ending: Dr. Hayden and other library leaders told the committee they would prioritize cybersecurity and preserving staff expertise if appropriations remain flat; members may submit additional questions for the record and the library promised follow‑up on program implementation details and modernization timelines.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget Hearing – Architect of the Capitol and Library of Congress","oneSentenceSummary","Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden told a House Appropriations subcommittee the Library of Congress is requesting $946.2 million for FY2026 to support digital collections, preservation storage upgrades, website modernization and a three‑year investment to accelerate the Enterprise Copyright System.","taxTitle","Appropriations: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1832,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},6084759,"Architect of the Capitol requests $1.3 billion for life‑safety, security and infrastructure upgrades",2706,861000,3567000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907876-3b5a75955180ec86ae97817ddb24da98&start=861&end=3567","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907876-3b5a75955180ec86ae97817ddb24da98/thumbnail_861000.jpg","/articles/6084759/Architect-of-the-Capitol-requests-13-billion-for-lifesafety-security-and-infrastructure-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084759-49be34852d82a7492222c5a0f76194ab/orig.mp4?Expires=1773674252&Signature=hHJm~xELjpB825usKr1HPy9RH0nKKR3idGxFG2kJeEpSH4idWZGPPFItUbRobvixIQwog2NErv3uqS7MjHPSJkumHUI~FctybP8Yg6vnESrTsIc-IZNbrhEnMtnEEPw5Me99gF4i9mTr~MCmA8yjKlIdLrx-4ih5q4xiDMKcZJP6p8lLipv0djDpwzzNWjbbKQLDr~-5NWlbjq2LjgpZ2TJt3hLGW~JOM2NfJnwtO2ZJw56unXlIo60w6UnjiQtbldF2taccV-pbMzlZLhLhpK1oF20kXKDaocsmi4mFyZ~~pF5XA2wzW9uulyzZJF7AxsPNUANXSz29ExWVCMbChg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Architect of the Capitol told a House Appropriations subcommittee that his office is seeking $1.3 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2026 to address life‑safety, physical security and critical infrastructure across the Capitol Campus. \"For fiscal year 2026, the Architect of the Capitol is requesting a combined total of $1,300,000,000,\" Mr. Thomas Austin said in his opening remarks.

The request, Austin said, targets three priorities: life‑safety code compliance, physical security upgrades and projects to reduce a growing maintenance backlog. \"We're developing the Enterprise Asset Management System,\" he told members, saying the system will improve data‑driven decision making and help prioritize repairs and capital work.

The budget proposal comes as the agency continues multi‑year renewals of historic House office buildings. Austin said lessons from the Cannon House Office Building renewal include tighter change‑management controls, improved stakeholder coordination and staging larger projects in fewer, longer phases to reduce mobilization costs and disruption. \"We think we did Cannon broken up into too many phases. So, we want to do fewer but longer phases,\" he said.

Security work described at the hearing includes replacement of exterior doors and windows to harden entry points, installation of conduit for additional cameras, improved lighting and the planned House screening facility on the Capitol's south side. Austin said pedestrian screening construction \"will begin construction this year.\" He also said many of the infrastructure projects identified after January 6 are \"well advanced,\" and that the majority of those projects are complete, though he declined to provide a percentage on the record without follow‑up.

Members pressed Austin on shorter‑term, highly visible issues. He said the Cannon project’s major construction would be removed from the campus by the end of the calendar year and acknowledged punch‑list and warranty work may continue. \"All the hard hats and major construction will be off campus by the end of this, calendar year,\" he said.

On accessibility and family‑friendly facilities, Austin said the agency works with the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services and that full Americans with Disabilities Act compliance in many historic buildings typically requires major renovation. He provided inventory details for lactation facilities across the campus: 17 lactation suites total, varying in size, with 27 seats in the House office buildings and six seats in the Capitol Building.

On vertical conveyances, Austin said the Architect’s office maintains an elevator and escalator team and contracts for more complex repairs. \"On the House side, 84 of the 85 elevators on the House side are fully operational. There's 1 down in the Ford right now,\" he said, and described a planned 20‑year program to replace elevators and a real‑time monitoring system for further reliability.

Committee members also raised a 2022 law directing installation of a plaque honoring officers who responded on January 6. When asked whether his office had received instructions to install the plaque, Austin said, \"We have not received final instructions to install the plaque.\" Representative Hoyer asked Austin to submit any directions he has received and to provide the committee with what has been done and what remains.

Austin described the fiscal impact of multi‑year funding shortfalls. He said deferred maintenance accumulated because of prior decrements, noting an approximate $200 million decrement in FY2024 and an additional roughly 12% reduction under the FY2025 continuing resolution, which together have pushed needed repairs into future years and increased the risk of system failures that could affect building functionality.

The Architect committed to provide additional, committee‑directed details after the hearing, including hiring progress and a list of security and accessibility projects completed and planned. Several members asked for further, nonpublic security details to be provided to committee staff.

Ending: The Architect of the Capitol said his office would continue work on the campus master plan — last updated in 2012 — and on capital projects scheduled across the House side, including the planned House screening facility. Members may submit additional questions for the record and requested follow‑up documentation on plaque instructions, security upgrades and the agency’s project‑completion timeline.","At a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin outlined a $1.3 billion FY2026 budget request focused on life‑safety, physical security and critical infrastructure to address aging facilities, deferred maintenance and ongoing renewal projects on the Capitol Campus.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Library of Congress seeks $946.2 million for FY2026 to expand digital collections, preservation and copyright modernization

Architect of the Capitol requests $1.3 billion for life‑safety, security and infrastructure upgrades