Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), has issued a statement following President Trump’s announcement to close the Kennedy Center for a multi-year period in order to undertake what Trump described as a “complete rebuilding” of the facility.
Whitehouse, who also serves as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, criticized Trump’s approach and raised concerns about both process and legality. In his statement, Whitehouse said: “As President Trump continues his demolition tour of Washington, he’s now setting his sights on one of America’s great cultural institutions. And yet again, he’s bucking rules and convention to do so. If he succeeds, it will be because of a series of suspect and illegal actions to commandeer the Kennedy Center as a clubhouse for his friends and political allies and install leadership who will satisfy his every whim: first, he gutted the Center’s board, dismissing all Trustees appointed by Democratic presidents and replacing them with loyalists eager to rubber stamp his power grab; next, he illegally stripped ex officio Trustees of their rights to vote in contravention of the relevant statute; then he illegally slapped his own name on the living memorial to President Kennedy, literally silencing Trustees who tried to speak up against it. Now, with his hostile takeover leading to artists’ withdrawals and declining ticket sales, he is covering up his failures by shuttering a national landmark that belongs to the American people—and he’s announcing it as a fait accompli before input from the Board, Congress, and others, as law and precedent dictate.”
Whitehouse previously initiated an investigation into how the Kennedy Center was being managed financially after documents obtained by EPW Democrats indicated millions in lost revenue along with luxury spending and favorable treatment toward Trump allies during Ambassador Ric Grenell's tenure overseeing operations. Despite public commitments from Grenell promising transparency—specifically stating intentions to “open up our books”—the committee has not received detailed responses or financial disclosures from either Grenell or Kennedy Center officials.
Additionally, Whitehouse joined other Democratic leaders—including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08), Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), House Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03)—in denouncing Trump's attempt to rename the center after himself without proper legal authority.
