House Republicans are moving to rename the opera house in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after first lady Melania Trump.
House appropriators voted 33-25 on Tuesday to advance language introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) that would make most of the Kennedy Center’s funding contingent on the name change in their markup of the fiscal 2026 Interior-Environment spending bill.
The move is just the latest effort by Republicans in Washington to reshape the public face of the Kennedy Center with President Donald Trump back in the White House.
The president in February took over as chair of the iconic theater, firing members of its board and replacing longtime president Deborah Rutter with Richard Grenell, a key White House ally. He also tapped chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and second lady Usha Vance to serve as new trustees.
And it’s yet another example of congressional Republicans honoring the president in the wake of his political comeback. They’ve introduced legislation to rename the Washington Dulles International Airport after Trump, get his face on the $100 bill and turn his birthday into an international holiday.
Naming a theater after the first lady “is an excellent way to recognize her appreciation for the arts,” Simpson told POLITICO in a statement.
“As Chairman of the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee — which oversees federal funding for capital repairs and operations and maintenance at the Kennedy Center — I am proud to honor her support and commitment in promoting the arts and humanities,” he said.
The committee will likely finish marking up the spending bill on Tuesday night. It provides funding for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, while also covering institutions including the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian.
The change is not final; any legislation would then have to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by Trump.
Andres Picon contributed to this report.
