Bill · H.R. 5565· House(119-HR-5565)
Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Act
- Introduced
- 9/26/2025
- Last activity
- 12/1/2025 — Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
- Sponsored by
- Tim Burchett
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Act" aims to promote classical and traditional architectural styles for Federal public buildings. This policy is intended to enhance civic pride, reflect national heritage, and ensure aesthetic excellence in government infrastructure. It establishes specific definitions for styles like classical, traditional, Brutalist, and Deconstructivist architecture. The bill sets a preference for classical architecture in the District of Columbia and provides guidelines for selecting building designs. It also directs the General Services Administration to update its policies and create new specialized advisory positions. Finally, it establishes a notification process for designs that deviate from these preferred styles.
Yes· 3 of 6
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?+2
The bill requires that all federal buildings be accessible to the handicapped.
Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities?+2
The bill explicitly mandates that federal buildings shall be accessible to the handicapped.
Would business owners be better off under this?+1
The bill encourages the incorporation of fine art into designs, potentially benefiting living American artists.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-2
The bill may increase government spending due to the potential costs of redesigning or renovating existing buildings to meet new architectural standards.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Civic Spaces: The policy aims to uplift and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, and ennoble the United States (Section 3, paragraph 1).
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Recognition of Regional Heritage: The bill encourages designs that incorporate qualities reflecting the regional architectural traditions of the area where the building is located (Section 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph C).
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Support for American Artists: The guidelines suggest that fine art should be incorporated into designs, with an emphasis on the work of living American artists (Section 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph D).
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Community Input: The bill states that building designs should be selected with substantial input from the local community (Section 3, paragraph s2).
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Accessibility and Reliability: It mandates that buildings be accessible to the handicapped and utilize materials and methods that have proven dependability (Section 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph F).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Increased Costs: The government may be willing to pay additional costs to avoid excessive uniformity in design (Section 4, paragraph 2, subparagraph A). Additionally, when renovating buildings that do not meet the new criteria, the feasibility and potential expense of building redesign must be examined (Section 3, paragraph 6).
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Administrative Requirements: The Administrator must create a new position for a senior advisor for architectural design (Section 5, subsection b, paragraph 2).
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Mandatory Notification Procedures: If a design diverges from the preferred style, the Administrator must provide a detailed explanation to the President, including total expected costs and comparisons to preferred designs (Section 5, subsection d).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For People With Disabilities+2Good For Business Owners+1Good For Urban Residents+1
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Disability Rights+2
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Public Transit+1
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+1
- 12/1/2025
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
- 9/26/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Introduced in House