A Republican-backed amendment seeks to rename the historic opera house.
An amendment added to a government funding bill slipped in a proposal to rename the Kennedy Center’s opera house after first lady Melania Trump.
The amendment backed by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) reads, “On page 145, line 22, after ‘2027’, insert: ‘: Provided, That the Opera House located in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts shall be known and designated as the ‘First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.’”
The amendment was cleared by the Appropriations panel in a 33 to 25 vote, according to PEOPLE. The amendment is part of a larger bill that aims to allocate funds for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, and other agencies in the upcoming fiscal year.
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“Naming the Opera House at the Kennedy Center after @FLOTUS is an excellent way to recognize the First Lady’s appreciation for the arts,” Simpson said Tuesday in a post on X. “I am proud to honor her support and commitment in promoting the arts and humanities.”
The bill still needs the approval of the House, which is about to go on its “August recess.”
The Kennedy Center first debuted on September 8, 1971, honoring President John F. Kennedy, according to its website. In February, President Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the center, announcing the move in a post on Truth Social.
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“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” the president wrote. “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
Trump and the first lady attended a showing of “Les Misérables” at the center in June. After his first visit in March, following his appointment as chairman, the president told reporters he was “disappointed” with the Kennedy Center.
“The Kennedy Center is in tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of the country, most of it, because of bad management,” he said. “So I’m very disappointed when I look around. The bottom line is, it has tremendous potential.”
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