In a May 29, 2026 letter, the American Governance Institute urged the Committee on House Administration to use its upcoming oversight hearing with Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin as the start of a broader public conversation about the future of the Capitol campus. AGI commended the Committee for holding the hearing and noted that Austin has begun to describe the scale of the challenge ahead, including the need to renovate the Rayburn House Office Building and develop a long-term campus master plan. The letter emphasized that the Capitol complex is more than a set of historic buildings: it is the working home of Congress, a public forum, and the place where the American people and their representatives meet.

AGI encouraged the Committee and the Architect to make transparency and public engagement central to the planning process. Drawing on restoration efforts by the United Kingdom’s Parliament and Canada’s Centre Block project, the letter called for clear public updates, meaningful input from congressional staff, journalists, advocates, visitors, people with disabilities, nearby residents, and other affected communities, and design choices that support a Congress that is secure, accessible, functional, and visibly open to the public. AGI also urged the release of the draft campus master plan and the Architect of the Capitol’s congressional budget justifications so stakeholders can better understand the tradeoffs, costs, and opportunities before major decisions are locked in.