House Appropriators Balk at $9 Billion Rayburn Renovation as Leaks and Toxics Drive Urgency
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4
House Appropriators Balk at $9 Billion Rayburn Renovation as Leaks and Toxics Drive Urgency
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4
Summary
$9 billion for a full Rayburn House Office Building overhaul is facing early resistance from House appropriators, who said they will not fund planning without their own review of the evidence.
16 major water leaks hit offices, hallways and storage areas in the past year, displacing some lawmakers and staff for months and costing millions of dollars in temporary repairs.
Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin told lawmakers the price reflects Rayburn's much larger size than Cannon and extensive asbestos and lead remediation in the postwar-era building.
Skepticism is sharpened by the Capitol complex's record of overruns: Cannon's renovation ran nearly $200 million above estimate, while the Capitol Visitors' Center ended up costing about double its original plan.
Austin argued delay will only raise costs and said Rayburn should avoid Cannon's phased approach and midproject design changes, which he called inefficient and disruptive.