On Tuesday, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee proposed renaming the Kennedy Center’s celebrated opera house to honor first lady Melania Trump.
The panel voted 33-25 to add a provision to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies subcommittee annual spending bill to rename the opera house in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.” Melania Trump already serves as the Kennedy Center’s honorary chairwoman, a position traditionally held by first ladies.
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Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) spearheaded the amendment as GOP lawmakers marked up the Interior Department’s spending bill for fiscal 2026.
Democrats derided the proposed changes during a markup committee hearing considering the department’s 2026 budget request.
Republicans “snuck in, I think, something that is slightly divisive, which is renaming one section of the Kennedy Center after the family member of this administration,” Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) said.
Republicans pushed back.
“This is an excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump’s] support and commitment to promoting the arts, and I would encourage members to vote for this Republican en bloc amendment,” Simpson, the chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies subcommittee, said, according to the Washington Post.
BEYOND THE KENNEDY CENTER: TRUMP STAGES PUBLIC ARTS TAKEOVER IN SECOND TERM
The possible renaming comes as part of a broader push within the Trump administration to reform the country’s arts landscape, which conservatives argue has become riddled with leftist ideology that distracts from the original purpose of iconic cultural hot spots such as the Kennedy Center.
President Donald Trump in February conducted a takeover of the Washington, D.C.-based arts center, firing Biden administration-era board members and replacing them with his own picks, who then installed him as the new chairman.