Republicans propose naming the Kennedy Center's opera house after Melania Trump [View all]
Source: NBC News
July 22, 2025, 4:03 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Tuesday proposed naming the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Opera House after first lady Melania Trump, with the lawmaker who sponsored the measure saying he wanted to honor the first lady's "support and commitment in promoting the arts and humanities."
House Republicans tucked the provision by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, into the bill that would fund the Interior Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and other related agencies for fiscal year 2026, which begins in October. The House Appropriations Committee adopted it as part of an amendment in a 33-25 vote and reported the legislation out of committee in a 33-28 vote. It would next head to the full House for a vote.
“First Lady Melania Trump serves as the Honorary Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Kennedy Center," Simpson, chair of the subcommittee that crafted the funding bill, said in a statement. "Naming a theater after her is an excellent way to recognize her appreciation for the arts."
Reached for comment, Simpson’s spokesperson, Lexi Hamel, said President Trump did not request that Republicans propose the change. Simpson's subcommittee oversees federal funding for capital repairs, operations and maintenance at the Kennedy Center, which consists of three main theaters, including the Opera House. The theater was designed to host operas, ballets and musicals. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, ranking member on the subcommittee, said Tuesday during the full committee markup of the bill that she was "surprised" to find the Kennedy Center provision in the amendment and made it clear that she opposed it.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-propose-naming-kennedy-centers-opera-house-melania-trump-rcna220338
Venues like this name halls for BIG DONORS. I doubt they have don't a damn cent to anything associated with "the arts" (or anything else).
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