Legal experts told NBC News earlier this year that the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administration-era statutes governing the creation of the Kennedy Center codified the original name into law. They added that changing the name would require new legislation passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president.
It appears Trump administration officials did not heed those legal concerns, which were shared by lawmakers from both parties Thursday, before placing his name on the building Friday.
Former Representative Joseph Kennedy III, great-nephew of the late presidentsaid Thursday afternoon in a statement that the center “is a living monument to the fallen president and is named in honor of President Kennedy by federal law.” It can’t be renamed any more than someone can rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
In a separate statement Thursday, six Democratic lawmakers who are ex-officio members of the Kennedy Center board said they would hold the administration accountable for violating the law.
“In addition to using the Kennedy Center to reward his friends and political allies, President Trump is now attempting to attach his name to yet another government agency without legal authority. Federal law establishes the Center as a monument to President Kennedy and prohibits its name from being changed without action by Congress,” the lawmakers wrote in a statement, later adding, “As ex-officio members of the Kennedy Center Board, we will be steadfast in our commitment to holding this administration accountable.”
The House and Senate minority leaders are Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — were among those who signed the statement.
Another ex-officio board member who did not vote for the change, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday: “The Kennedy Center, in my opinion, is the Kennedy Center.”
Capito and several other Republican senators said they believe the name will have to be changed through legislation in Congress.
“I assume that is the case because it is repeatedly referred to in the legislation as the Kennedy Center, so I assume that is the case,” the West Virginia senator told reporters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday that “we'll see” whether the name change requires new legislation.
“I’m not familiar with the process of how it’s done,” Thune said. “The question is whether this is provided for by law. Is this required by law? Should we change the law to do things like this? And I am sure that in due time we will get all the answers to this question.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, another ex-officio council member, disputed the president's assertion that the council vote was “unanimous,” saying the name change was not on the agenda circulated before the meeting and that she was repeatedly cut off during a video call when she tried to express her concerns about it.
“I said, 'I have something to say,' and they put me on mute, and as I kept trying to unmute myself to ask questions and express my disagreement with it, I got a note saying I wouldn't be unmuted,” Beatty told reporters Thursday.
Roma Daravi, the center's vice president of public affairs, told NBC News in a statement that Beatty is not a voting member of the board and that she was given the “privilege” of listening to Thursday's board meeting.
“The entire board was invited to attend in person, and the privilege of listening to the meeting was given to all members, even those who did not have voting rights, such as ex-officio member Joyce Beatty,” Daravi said.
