Lawmakers seeking to prevent President Donald Trump from demolishing the Kennedy Center are considering attaching the measure to a must-pass legislation later this year.
The move comes after a bipartisan bill was blocked in the Senate, with lawmakers now looking for another path to advance the measure, Reuters reported Friday.
Lawmakers Seek Another Route
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) are considering adding the measure to legislation Congress is expected to take up before the end of the year.
The 15-line bill would prohibit the demolition of a presidential memorial designated by Congress without an act of Congress. Merkley and Murkowski tried to advance it through the Senate late Monday, but Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) blocked the effort, the report noted.
Pingree said to the news outlet that lawmakers were trying to create safeguards around the Kennedy Center dispute and argued that the bipartisan effort would still send a message even if the legislation does not pass.
Murkowski separately said the situation at the center was worsening as litigation has delayed repairs, while Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said Congress has authority over the center’s federal funding and expressed hope that Trump’s advisers would discourage further escalation.
Trump has not committed to preserving the Kennedy Center without congressional approval. In a Time interview this week, he said he was not making such a commitment and would wait to see how the matter develops in court.
The White House and the office of Sen. Mike Lee did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Kennedy Center Demolition Fight
Last month, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide at least 30 days’ notice before taking steps toward demolishing the building. Trump had said the Kennedy Center could be “ripped down” if his administration did not receive recognition at the complex.
In August, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said demolition could eventually happen if Trump could not renovate the center, while describing it as not imminent.
The Kennedy Center’s financial problems have also been part of the dispute. In September, the center faced warnings over its ability to cover payroll and maintenance costs, while Congress had already approved $257 million for deferred maintenance.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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