(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today expressed dismay at yet another cost overrun for the construction of the CVC.  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch that the cost will reach $584 million, 120 percent more than the original estimate of $265 million.  Originally scheduled for completion in time for the 2005 inauguration, the Architect of the Capitol (AoC) has estimated that the CVC will not be open to the public until April 2007.

“The Capitol Visitor Center is a monument to Congress’s own excess,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “How fitting that this latest announcement comes on the heels of a projection for a record $423 billion deficit for fiscal 2006.”

The CVC will continue to rank among the most wasteful examples of botched construction projects ever promulgated by the federal government.  The 40-year-old pipe dream was consistently deemed too frivolous to gain wider support until security concerns allowed it to squeak through Congress.  The troubling history of the CVC includes the abysmal failure to raise private funds, the abuse of security threats to justify increased expenses, and the unbridled growth of this monument to government waste.

While increasing funding for post-September 11^th security concerns, members of Congress also added another $70 million to build 170,000 square feet of House and Senate office space that has minimal security purposes.  This space will be used for recording studios for both the Senate and the House (a studio already exists in the Capitol; climate controlled-storage for the Senate gift shop and curator’s office; and rooms for parties and receptions, to name a few.

“The CVC was never necessary and has cemented its legacy as one of the most wasteful and botched construction projects ever promulgated by the federal government,” Schatz said.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.