The John F. Kennedy Center for the performing arts in Washington, DC (photo with the kind permission of the Kennedy Center)
The Republicans of the US House appropriation committee voted on Tuesday to rename the opera house in the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for First Lady Melania Trump.
The adopted committee, 33-25, A package of amendments in addition The invoice Financing of the interior department, environmental protection authority and related authorities for the 2026 financial year, which contained a provision for the determination of the first Lady Melania Trump Opera House in John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The vote was mostly a party border, with the Democrat Marie Gluenekamp Perez from Washington present all Republicans in favor.
The ruined democrat in the subcommittee for interior environment requirements, Chellie Pingree from Maine, said that she was “surprised” by the destination.
“The Republicans have sneaked into something that I think that after a family member of this administration, a section of the Kennedy center renamed it,” said Pingree during the full committee, a meeting in which a legislation is discussed, changed and voted.
Mike Simpson, a Republican of Idaho, replied that the change of name was “an excellent opportunity to recognize the support and commitment to promote the arts”.
“Yes, we renamed the opera house in the Kennedy Center for the First Lady, which is the honorary chairman of the Kennedy Center,” said Simpson.
The Kennedy Center is one of the most essential venues for the country’s performing arts.
President Donald Trump removed several members of the Kennedy Center Board in February and replaced them by loyalists who chose him CEO. He also released the President of the Cultural Center, Deborah Rutter, and temporarily replaced it with Richard Grenell, who held several roles on Trump’s two presidency.
Inner environmental bill
The expenditure calculation in the inner environment in the household environments proposes almost $ 38 billion for departments and agencies covered in the measure, a total output of 6% compared to the current level, which is mainly due to the hopping of 23% of the EPA budget.
In the inner department, a reduction of less than half of 1% of its current financing would be recorded, so a summary Provision of republicans of the committee.
Art and cultural financing would also be recorded in the invoice.
The National Foundation for the Arts and the National Foundation for the Humanities would each see 35% cuts and the financing of the individual agencies to $ 135 million. The Smithsonian Institution would receive 961.3 million US dollars, which corresponds to a reduction of 12%. And the Kennedy Center itself would have a reduction from 17.2% to 37.2 million US dollars.
The full committee for home equipment has approved the draft law with the change 33-28.
The invoices for funds must win 60 votes in the Senate to become a law, which generally makes it complex to include excessive party political provisions in the final text.
The corresponding subcommittee of the Senate did not publish its version of the bill, but should take it into account on Thursday.
