WASHINGTON – Today Congressional Arts Caucus members Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (TX-37) introduced their Protecting Resources and Ensuring Stewardship of Enduring Records of Visual Expression (PRESERVE) Act. This legislation would establish a procedure to ensure that publicly commissioned art is protected and preserved during the federal building disposal process.

“Publicly commissioned art should never become collateral damage when federal buildings are sold or otherwise disposed of,” said Rep. Titus. “It is critical that we establish a process to protect these national treasures and ensure the public has full access to the 26,000 works of art exhibited in museums and federal buildings around the country, no matter who sits in the Oval Office. Art commissioned by the federal government is a vital part of our national heritage and deserves to be preserved for future generations.”

“As we celebrate America’s 250^th birthday, preservation of our Nation’s rich history and culture is essential,” said Rep. Doggett. “Many federal buildings like the Wilbur J. Cohen Building contain precious artworks that provide a visual history of the struggle, opposition, and ultimately of progress across generations of Americans. The PRESERVE Act will protect these treasures, because art is aspiration, and protecting it is how we live up to our own.”

The PRESERVE Act would require the General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator to convene a committee of experts and implement a plan to preserve any publicly commissioned artwork, including art that was created under New Deal programs, early in the disposal process. GSA would also be required to ensure that the artwork is accessible to the public after the building is disposed of, whether through a term in an outlease agreement or by transferring the property to another public building. Artwork commissioned with taxpayer funding should be publicly accessible.

This legislation is endorsed by Social Security Works, Living New Deal, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Hands Off the Arts, Preservation Action, and Public Art Dialogue.

“The Living New Deal is encouraged that members of the U.S. Congress are seeking to protect the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building and its irreplaceable artworks, as well as the other artworks -- more than 26,000 total -- in the U.S. General Services Administration's collection. The GSA is the primary steward of New Deal art, all of which belongs to the American people. The bill that Reps. Dina Titus and Lloyd Doggett are introducing is an honorable celebration of our nation's art and 250th anniversary. As George Washington wrote in 1784, ‘To encourage Literature and the Arts is a duty which every good Citizen owes to his Country,’” said Mary Okin, Assistant Director of Living New Deal.

"Thank you to Reps. Titus and Doggett for fighting to protect the American artifacts that are the New Deal-era murals in the Wilbur Cohen Building. Besides being priceless irreplaceable masterpieces of American art, the murals are an invaluable part of Social Security's history. Social Security Works enthusiastically endorses the PRESERVE Act, and urges Congress to protect public art by swiftly passing it into law," said Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works.

“Hands Off the Arts applauds Congresswoman Titus’s leadership and stands in solidarity with Living New Deal, Social Security Works, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action, Public Art Dialogue, and all artists, archivists, historians, and arts workers across the country working to preserve and protect priceless public artworks,” said Mallory Miller, Co-founder of Hands Off the Arts.

"Public Art Dialogue's members include art historians, artists, curators, administrators, educators, architects, landscape architects, and others who understand the power of public art to foster community conversations about our national past, present, and future. PAD is pleased to support the PRESERVE Act, critical legislation which will ensure the survival and preservation of works specifically commissioned for 'we the people.' These historical riches serve not only as visible reminders of the aspirations of past Americans, but also as guideposts for the future enrichment of our national visual landscape,” said Dr. Amy Werbel and Dr. Karen Shelby, Co-Chairs of Public Art Dialogue.

Background

Through its Fine Arts Program, GSA maintains one of the oldest and largest public art collections in the United States. The collection includes art that was commissioned under New Deal programs. In 1934, the federal government began loaning or allocating artwork created under New Deal programs to public agencies and nonprofit institutions across the country. When the General Services Administration was established in 1949, it assumed stewardship responsibility for this artwork.

As the Trump Administration looks to reduce the federal real property footprint, these invaluable pieces of art are at risk. There currently are no guardrails in federal law to protect publicly commissioned artwork during the federal building disposal process. Congress must act to protect this important part of our history before it is too late.

Under immediate threat is the collection housed inside the Wilbur J. Cohen Building in Washington, DC which has been deemed the “Sistine Chapel of the New Deal.” The Cohen building houses frescoes and murals by Ben Shahn, Philip Guston, Seymour Fogel, and Jenne and Ethel Magafan. Because the frescoes are imbedded in the walls, they cannot simply be taken out of the building or transported to another location. Preserving this work would take careful input and planning from people who have the expertise and historical knowledge necessary to successfully protect it.

During the 119^th Congress, Rep. Titus has taken the following actions to protect public art:

• On April 14, 2025, Representative Titus led members of the Congressional Arts Caucus to the General Services Administration raising concern that over half of GSA’s Fine Arts Program staff had been put on leave.
• On August 19, 2025, Representative Titus introduced the Fine Arts Protection Act. This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to survey GSA’s Fine Arts collection and determine its economic value.
• On April 24, 2026, Representative Titus led a letter to President Donald Trump and Acting Chairman for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) William English raising concern that NEH funds were being unlawfully redirected toward the construction of a Triumphal Arch.

###