(Washington, DC)  --  Today, at a monthly oversight hearing of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch focusing on the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz made the following statement following the testimony of the Acting Architect of the Capitol and Deputy Architect/Chief Operating Officer, Steven Ayers: 

 

"This is the third monthly hearing I've held on the CVC.

 

The hearings have been productive, though, as I have already discussed today, I do not think the Architect's staff has been very straightforward in meeting the weekly reporting requirement.

 

It's been a month since our last hearing and the schedule has dropped back another two months.

 

This project was supposed to be open for the Presidential Inauguration in 2005. Now people are beginning to worry about this being ready for the 2009 Inauguration.

 

Losing two days for every day going forward:  This has been the consistent pattern over the entire history of the CVC, and the new AOC team has not been able to get control of the project.

 

Even with GAO looking over their shoulder, it's very clear that they cannot turn this project around.

 

Mr. Ayers, I want to help you succeed in completing the construction project and getting operations management started off on the right foot.

 

No one in this room wants this project to succeed more than me.  This project still needs significant help.

 

Between today and our next CVC hearing I will be considering our options and consulting with [Ranking Member] Mr. Wamp about the next step."

 

 

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