Prevent the Closure, Renaming and Possible Demolition of the Kennedy Center

I urge Congress to act immediately to protect the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The President should not be permitted to close, rename, fundamentally alter, or potentially demolish the national institution Congress created as America’s performing arts center and living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. TRUMP HAS TIED THE CENTER’S RENOVATION TO THE FIGHT OVER HIS NAME On September 15, the Kennedy Center board voted to close most of it for as long as two years. President Trump has said the congressionally funded renovation will not proceed unless the naming dispute is resolved in his favor. The possibility of eventual demolition has also been publicly raised. CONGRESS SHOULD ACT BEFORE IRREVERSIBLE DECISIONS ARE MADE. Federal law is clear. Congress established the Kennedy Center as the National Center for the Performing Arts and directed that it be maintained as “a living memorial to John Fitzgerald Kennedy.” A federal judge has ruled that memorials or naming changes involving President Trump require congressional authorization. TRUMP IS HOLDING THE KENNEDY CENTER RENOVATION HOSTAGE TO HIS NAMING DEMAND Congress has appropriated about $257 million to renovate the Kennedy Center. Public money for repairs should not be used as leverage to secure personal recognition for the President. ALLOWING THIS WOULD WEAKEN CONGRESS FAR BEYOND THE KENNEDY CENTER Necessary repairs are not the issue. The issue is who decides the Center’s identity and future. If a President can close a national memorial, condition its reopening on a naming dispute, or threaten its survival without congressional consent, Congress’s authority becomes largely meaningless. Congress creates institutions, defines their purposes, and appropriates money for them. Allowing the executive branch to remake such an institution despite those statutory choices would weaken an important check on presidential power. The question is whether Congress’s laws or presidential preference will govern a national institution. I urge you to: (1) PROTECT THE CENTER. Prohibit demolition, renaming, substantial alteration, or permanent repurposing without explicit congressional authorization. (2) PROTECT THE FUNDS. Require the $257 million appropriated for the Kennedy Center to be spent on the Kennedy Center and its renovation, while preserving its statutory identity and purpose. (3) REQUIRE A PLAN. Require a public renovation plan, independent cost review, construction schedule, and firm timetable for reopening. (4) HOLD HEARINGS. Hold immediate oversight hearings into the closure, finances, renovation plans, and any proposal to demolish, replace, or repurpose the building. (5) REQUEST A GAO REVIEW. Ask the Government Accountability Office to investigate the Kennedy Center’s use of federal funds, renovation planning, governance, financial management, and any proposal to demolish, replace, or permanently repurpose the building. Thank you.