1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand that you take immediate action to reverse the illegal renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the "Trump-Kennedy Center." This flagrant violation of federal law by President Trump's hand-picked board represents an unprecedented assault on congressional authority and our national heritage. The Kennedy Center's name is enshrined in legislation from the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations. Legal experts and lawmakers from both parties, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senator Shelly Moore Capito, have confirmed that changing the name requires new legislation passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president. The administration ignored these clear legal requirements and installed new signage just one day after Thursday's board vote. The procedural irregularities are egregious. Rep. Joyce Beatty reported that the name change was not on the distributed agenda and that she was repeatedly muted when attempting to voice opposition during the video call. This contradicts claims of a "unanimous" vote and exposes the fraudulent nature of this process. The Kennedy Center stands as a living memorial to a fallen president, comparable to the Lincoln Memorial in its significance. As former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III stated, it cannot be renamed regardless of what anyone says. Six Democratic lawmakers serving as ex-officio board members have committed to holding the administration accountable for this violation of federal law. I demand that you introduce or support legislation that explicitly reaffirms the Kennedy Center's legal name and prevents any federal funding from being used to maintain the unauthorized signage. Congress must immediately assert its constitutional authority and stop this lawless executive action. The time for measured responses has passed.