President Donald Trump wants to close the Kennedy Center’s doors for two years so the performing arts center can undergo construction. House Democrats say that’s illegal.
A group of Democratic lawmakers fired off a letter to Trump on Thursday requesting more information about his plans to renovate the cultural epicenter, which they said was unlawful and called a “reckless and impetuous vanity project.”
They want Trump to call off the closure of the facility.
“This decision likely violates the essential purposes and intent of the federal law establishing this beloved national memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy and raises a multiplicity of serious legal and policy questions that need to be addressed before anything irreversible happens,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, first reported by MS NOW.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon led the letter, which 70 Democrats signed.
The Democratic argument centers on the National Cultural Center Act, which was amended after the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy to rename the building after the late president. The law calls on the Board of Trustees to “present classical and contemporary music, opera, drama, dance, and poetry from this and other countries” and “provide facilities for other civic activities at the Cultural Center,” which the Democrats argue will be impossible during the closure of the Kennedy Center.
“Your putative decision to close the Kennedy Center for two years beginning July 4, 2026 would almost certainly prevent the Board from fulfilling its congressional mandate to provide performing arts activities and facilities for other civic activities which have been enjoyed under the law by the American people for more than half a century,” the Democrats wrote.
“The closure of this national treasure could cancel more than 2,200 annual performances and exhibits and eliminate 400 free community events, to the sharp detriment of the Center’s two million annual visitors who are the intended audience and beneficiaries of the Act,” they added.
The letter comes days after Trump announced in a Truth Social post that the Kennedy Center would shutter operations for two years starting July 4, allowing time for renovations. The plan, the president said, is subject to approval from the Kennedy Center board, which Trump stacked with allies.
Before that, Trump added his name to the facility.
The announcement sparked strong pushback from Democrats. Now, lawmakers want answers.
In their letter, House Democrats asked Trump to answer eight questions about his plans, including how he’ll follow the law for the Kennedy Center to provide performing arts and facilities for civic activities during the closure, who’s funding the project, what the planned renovations entail, communications surrounding closing the location and how he’ll relocate the National Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and upcoming productions. “Remaking this ‘national memorial’ as a monument to anyone or anything other than President Kennedy is plainly contrary to federal law and ultra vires,” they wrote. The Democrats also pointed out that Trump’s plan to close and renovate the Kennedy Center is the latest iteration of his effort to remake the storied facility. First, he remade the board. Then, he tacked his name on the signage. Now, he’s threatening to close its doors. The group says it’s “alarmed” by the string of actions. “We are frankly alarmed that this assault on the Kennedy Center community seems to reflect your recurring impulse to destroy independent art and music in our nation,” they wrote. “In a radical departure from the Center’s proudly bipartisan history, you purged the Kennedy Center Board of its independent Trustees, amended the Board’s bylaws to vest all voting power in your appointed loyalists, and even, shockingly, added your own name like a delinquent graffiti artist to the only national memorial for the late beloved President John F. Kennedy,” they added.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
