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House Administration probes Library of Congress visitor project after cost overruns and schedule slip
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Summary
During an oversight hearing, the Committee on House Administration questioned Library of Congress leadership about a Visitor Experience Master Plan that has grown from an estimated $62 million to nearly $94 million and slipped past a July 2026 completion goal.
The House Committee on House Administration examined rising costs and schedule delays for the Library of CongressVisitor Experience Master Plan during a hearing that featured testimony from Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden and references to work by the Architect of the Capitol.
The committee was told the projectknown as VEMPwas originally estimated at $62,000,000 but is now expected to cost nearly $94,000,000, and that the completion date directed by Congress for the U.S. semiquincentennial in July 2026 is no longer achievable. "The project was intended to cost $62,000,000, but is now expected to cost nearly $94,000,000," the chairman told the hearing record.
Committee members and the librarian traced the increase to higher construction-material and labor costs, the technical challenges of modifying the historic Thomas Jefferson Building (completed in 1897), and shortcomings the Library of Congress Inspector General identified in project management and coordination with the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). The inspector general issued an audit report that details the project's failings and challenges, committee members noted.
Dr. Carla Hayden said the library has worked to improve coordination with the new Architect of the Capitol and that recent months show progress: "we have made quite a bit of progress with that," she told the committee. Hayden also described privately funded components and a contingency held by AOC, saying the library met private fundraising targets and that the AOC contingency is "very, healthy." She said the youth center portion of the project is expected to open in December of this year, while construction completion is now estimated for March 2027 by AOC.
Committee members pressed for explanations about earlier planning estimates and for assurance that design changes would be limited. Hayden said that early planning and pandemic delays contributed to timeline shifts and that the library now meets with AOC on a regular, biweekly basis for oversight and implementation briefings.
The hearing record shows ongoing briefings and reporting between the library, AOC, and the committee. Members said they will continue to monitor schedule and budget, and the committee left the record open for additional materials.
The committee did not vote on any measures related to VEMP at the hearing, but members indicated continued oversight and potential follow-up questions and requests for documentation.
Looking ahead, the committee emphasized the need for tighter cost and schedule controls on historic-building projects and said it expects to continue receiving status updates from the Library of Congress and the Architect of the Capitol.
