Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on Monday blocked a bipartisan bill that sought to prohibit the Trump administration from demolishing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts without congressional approval. The measure, co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would have required an act of Congress to demolish any federally authorized memorial honoring a U.S. president, including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Monument.
The bill, titled the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act, was introduced in response to concerns that the Trump administration had threatened to demolish the Kennedy Center if it could not add the president’s name to the building. The venue has been embroiled in legal and political disputes for months, including a ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer in early September, which led to its temporary closure.
Senate procedure blocked the bill
Lee objected to the bill under unanimous consent, a Senate procedure that allows legislation to pass without a roll-call vote unless a single senator objects. Lee’s office stated that the effort should go through "the appropriate committee process," calling the bill a waste of time and accusing Democrats of "partisan scaremongering."
Merkley and Murkowski, who lead the Senate panel overseeing funding for the Kennedy Center, vowed to pursue the bill in both the House and Senate. "This has of course to do with the president planning to demolish the Kennedy Center," Merkley said on the Senate floor. "First, he destroyed its programming, and now, he wants to destroy the building itself."
Legal and financial disputes escalate
The Justice Department, representing the Kennedy Center in court filings, has argued that the building is in a state of financial and physical collapse, with funds nearly exhausted. DOJ lawyers described the venue as "dangerously dilapidated, outdated, and decrepit," while also stating that its finances are "equally in disrepair."
In August, Justice Department lawyers warned in a court filing that without Trump’s proposed renovation and leadership, the building would deteriorate into an "unsafe, decrepit structure" that would eventually need to be demolished. They suggested replacing it with a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River, though acknowledged this would "fail to adequately honor" President John F. Kennedy.
The Kennedy Center’s leadership has denied plans to demolish the building. A federal judge previously ordered the center to provide 30 days’ notice if any demolition plans were ever considered.
Timeline of key events
- December 2025: The Kennedy Center’s board, handpicked by Trump, voted to rename the building to include his name. A judge later ordered the name removed in June 2026, ruling that an act of Congress was required to change the memorial’s name.
- June 2026: A federal judge ruled that Trump’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center’s facade.
- September 2026: Part of the Kennedy Center’s ceiling collapsed in the Grand Foyer, prompting its temporary closure.
- September 28, 2026: Merkley and Murkowski introduced the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act to prevent demolition without congressional approval.
- September 29, 2026: Lee blocked the bill via unanimous consent.
Next steps
Merkley and Murkowski have indicated they will continue to pursue the bill in both chambers. The dispute over the Kennedy Center’s future remains unresolved, with legal and political battles ongoing.