Congress Must Stop The Unauthorized Renaming Of The Kennedy Center

I write to express deep concern and strong opposition to recent actions that have resulted in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts being publicly rebranded as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” This action appears to have been taken without an authorizing Act of Congress, despite the Kennedy Center’s status as a federally established national memorial. The speed and manner of this change have raised serious questions about legality, process, and respect for Congressional authority. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was created by Congress in 1964 as a living national memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Its name, purpose, and symbolic meaning are established in federal law. Renaming a national memorial is not an internal administrative decision or a matter of branding. It is a legal act that requires Congressional approval. Public reporting and statements from Kennedy family members, former board participants, and elected officials indicate that the board may have exceeded its authority in taking this step. Concerns have been raised about transparency, procedural fairness, and whether dissenting voices were meaningfully heard. These circumstances warrant careful examination and public accountability. This matter is not about partisan preference or support for any individual. It is about the rule of law and the proper separation of powers. Allowing a federally created memorial to be renamed without Congressional action sets a troubling precedent and risks politicizing institutions meant to serve the entire nation. The Kennedy Center was intended to honor values of public service, civic responsibility, and cultural unity. Those values are diminished when legal boundaries are disregarded. I respectfully urge you to take the following actions: Affirm Congressional Authority Publicly state that the legal name of the Kennedy Center cannot be changed without explicit Congressional authorization and that any attempt to do so outside that process lacks legal force. Insist on Oversight Call for hearings to examine how this renaming occurred, whether statutory limits were violated, and what safeguards are needed to prevent similar actions affecting other national memorials. Reassert the Law Through Legislation Support legislation reaffirming that the institution’s name remains the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts unless Congress acts to change it. This moment calls for Congress to reassert its constitutional role as steward of national memorials and to ensure that institutions created by law are governed by law.