WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Administration Committee held a hearing on June 3, 2026, to discuss lessons from the Cannon House Office Building renovation and plans for the Rayburn Building. Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin warned of the risk of 'catastrophic system failure' in the Capitol complex due to aging infrastructure.
Austin defined a catastrophic system failure as a failure of one building system that causes part or all of a building to become unusable. The Rayburn Building houses nearly 200 member offices, committee hearing rooms, suites, SCIFs, three levels of parking, and a Capitol Police firing range.
An air handling unit failed in the building in October 2025, leaving 22 House office suites without air conditioning. "The failure of the air handling unit in October 2025 would have rendered offices unusable if it had occurred during extreme weather in June, July, or January," Austin said.
Over the last 12 months, 16 major leaks affected six member suites, four committee office spaces, five member storage areas, and two hallways in the Rayburn Building. Remediation and repairs for the leaks required millions of dollars. "Increasing frequency and severity of system failures will impact members of Congress more over time," he added.
The building contains asbestos and lead, which will present challenges during renovation. Austin said the Rayburn renovation will be the largest renovation program the Architect of the Capitol has ever undertaken. He anticipates construction could begin in approximately eight years, with swing space built first.
A 2024 swing space study recommended constructing a new facility for future renovations. Austin said the Library of Congress' Madison Building was not built for high-occupancy office space and would require extensive reconstruction to serve as such. He also stated that temporary fixes or staff relocations would have been required during a more severe air handling unit failure.
Austin identified three main lessons from the Cannon project: phased renovations are inefficient, construction should be separated from congressional operations, and there should be a higher bar for changing plans during construction. House Administration Chair Bryan Steil said the project provides guidance. "The Cannon renovation provides 'tough lessons' that should inform the Rayburn renovation," Steil said.
"My primary goal is to ensure Congress is a good steward of taxpayer resources in future large-scale renovation projects," Steil added. The Cannon House Office Building renovation was originally estimated at $750 million in 2009 and will cost $971 million upon completion.
The House Appropriations Committee approved a draft fiscal 2027 Legislative Branch appropriations bill with $689 million for the Architect of the Capitol, falling $720 million short of the agency's request for more than $1 billion. House Administration ranking member Joseph D. Morelle said Congress should fully invest in the Rayburn renovation project.
"Allowing the buildings Congress works in to deteriorate illustrates a broader failure to strengthen and sustain Congress' Article 1 powers under the Constitution," Morelle said. He noted the agency had been sounding the alarm about building conditions even before Austin was appointed in 2024. No Democrats besides Morelle attended the June 3 hearing.