Preservation groups ask federal judge to block Kennedy Center renovations pending congressional review

Hearings in two lawsuits against President Trump and the Kennedy Center's board were held Tuesday and Wednesday before Judge Cooper. The preservation coalition's case centers on whether the administration is required to submit a comprehensive renovation plan to Congress for approval before construction begins; Beatty's separate suit additionally challenges the addition of Trump's name to the building.

The Kennedy Center's executive director and chief operating officer, Matt Floca, testified that he was "dumbfounded" by the state of the building when he joined in 2024, citing extensive water damage to a section of the building nicknamed "the swamp," outdated electrical systems, and degraded concrete. Floca said closing the Center during renovations was his recommendation and that the $257 million appropriated under Trump's legislation must be spent by 2029. "The most efficient and effective way to complete the magnitude of projects we need to complete is to close the center," Floca said.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they did not dispute the need for repairs but argued that no comprehensive plan had been submitted to Congress, as they contend is required by law. Attorney Abbe Lowell raised the precedent of the White House East Wing, which was demolished without congressional approval after Trump said his ballroom design would not "interfere" with the building. Lowell asked Floca whether he was familiar with the phrase "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Floca confirmed he was and said there were "no active plans" to demolish the Kennedy Center, though he conceded that Trump is involved in all aspects of the renovation.

Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth argued that concerns about the project's scope had been "blown out of proportion," saying the administration's plans were limited and well within the board's authority, and that extra approvals were not needed. Attorney Brantley Mayers, addressing Beatty's suit, said Trump's name was added not as a "memorial" but as an "acknowledgment," a characterization that plaintiffs' attorney Norm Eisen called "brazen and wrong." The Kennedy Center's founding statute, as amended in 1983, states that "no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas" of the building.

NPR reported that changes already made to the building include painting the gold columns white, cutting down weeping willow trees on the plaza overlooking the Potomac River, and adding Trump's name to the facade — changes plaintiffs' lawyers said illustrated the gap between Floca's description of limited repair work and Trump's public statements describing a "new and spectacular Entertainment Complex" and a "new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come." Fox News noted the renovation dispute is part of a broader pattern of litigation over Trump's changes to Washington landmarks, including the halted White House ballroom construction and plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch to mark the nation's 250th anniversary.