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

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.