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this kennedy center Board rules were amended earlier this year to provide President Donald Trump’s The name of the performing arts organization will be added, according to a new report.
this Center Charter Changes were made in May so that ex officio member – appointed by Congress – cannot vote or be counted in a quorum, washington post the report said.
The Republican president took over the center in February, ousting board members he had not appointed and adding several new members, including the White House chief of staff Suzy Wells and second lady Usha Vance. He says his mission is to eliminate “woke” programming.
On Dec. 18, the board of trustees voted to rename the center the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” this signage on building It was quickly changed to reflect the changes.
Congressional Democrats and some legal experts condemned the move, saying it was illegal to change the name of a monument to former President John F. Kennedy. Some also claimed that ex-officio members should be allowed to vote on the name change.
However, Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, told the outlet postal Of course members have never voted in the past.
“The bylaws were revised to reflect this long-standing precedent, and everyone received technical changes before the meeting and after the revision,” Dharavi told the media. “Some members, including ex-officio members, attended in person, others by phone, no one expressed any concerns, no one objected, and the bylaws were adopted unanimously.”
The center’s website lists 34 board members appointed by the president and 23 ex-officio members.
The 1964 law establishing the center designates certain government positions as ex officio members, including the mayor of Washington, D.C., and the Librarian of Congress. The law designates them as members of the board that governs the facility but makes no distinction between them and voting members.
Current and former members and staff told postal It has been a source of confusion and controversy following a vote in December to change the centre’s name.
One former center staff member said ex-officio members “always participated in debates and discussions” but they could not recall when those members voted.
“Theoretically they can vote, but our approach is not to allow them to vote or count towards the quorum,” the person noted.
Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse told the media postal Earlier this year, he became an ex-officio member after becoming ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Whitehouse said the law establishing the center “makes no distinction between ex-officio trustees and presidentially appointed trustees when it comes to the rights and responsibilities of board members, including voting.” He also accused the new board of “unlawfully” changing the bylaws to “suppress dissent.”
Several members of the administration — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — did not respond to requests for comment.
In the days since the name change, Democrats in Congress have moved to overturn the decision.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., asking a judge to invalidate the vote, which she said exceeded the committee’s legal authority. Beatty said she was muted when she tried to speak during the Dec. 18 vote.
“Changing the name of the Kennedy Center requires congressional action because Congress named the Center by statute,” the lawsuit states, adding, “Congress intended the Center to be a living monument to President Kennedy and a crown jewel in the arts for all Americans, regardless of party.”
Last week, Rep. Cherry Pingree, D-Maine, introduced a bill to remove Trump’s name from the middle. The legislation has the support of more than 70 lawmakers.
also, a string of artists Shows scheduled to play the venue have been canceled in recent days in protest at the addition of Trump’s name. including jazz supergroup cooking utensils and Doug Vallone and Dancers Troupe.
“All of these shows were booked by the previous regime,” Richard Grenell, a Trump-appointed board official, wrote on X. “Their cancellations only prove our point that this place was booked by the previous regime.” radical lefty Prioritizing woke politics over art. “
“Democrats ignored the Kennedy Center for decades; it is crumbling,” he added. “Donald Trump saved the center and poured millions of dollars into the arts, why wouldn’t you join him? “