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Ranking Member Pingree Statement on Court Ordering Removal of Trump’s Name from Kennedy Center

Washington, May 29, 2026
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the Kennedy Center, released the following statement after a federal judge ordered the removal of President Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and blocked the administration’s plan to close the venue for two years beginning in July:
 
Donald Trump tried to slap his name on the Kennedy Center like it was one of his tacky hotels, and today a federal judge made clear what we have been saying from the start: he had no legal authority to do it.

I am also relieved the court blocked Trump’s plan to shutter the Center. Closing the Kennedy Center was never about renovation. It was about covering up the catastrophic damage Trump has already inflicted: ticket sales in free fall, the Washington National Opera ending its 55-year residency, beloved performances canceled, and union workers fired in clear violation of their contracts. The court saw through the pretense.

I want to commend Congresswoman Beatty for her courage and persistence in filing this suit, along with the preservation and architectural organizations that fought alongside her. This victory belongs to every American who refused to accept a president using a national memorial as a vehicle for his own ego.

The Kennedy Center’s deferred maintenance needs are real, and they should be addressed. But that work must happen through a transparent, collaborative process, with full congressional oversight and proper historic preservation review. I stand ready to be a genuine partner in restoring the Kennedy Center’s integrity and greatness for generations to come. That is what the American people deserve, and that is the work that lies ahead.

Trump has two weeks to comply with this court order. The Kennedy Center belongs to the American people. Now and always.
 
Pingree, who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus, has been a leading voice in Congress to protect the Kennedy Center since Trump installed himself as board chair in 2025. As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Pingree successfully stripped language from the 2026 Appropriations bill that would have renamed the Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump.
 
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