Trump’s DOJ says ‘sick and poorly’ Kennedy Center is already running out of money to pay its bills

Justice Department attorneys are telling a federal appeals court that the Kennedy Center is failing financially and structurally, and that it can stay afloat only if President Donald Trump's name goes on the building. The filing arrives as Senate Republicans stall a bipartisan effort to bar the administration from tearing the venue down, according to The Independent.

In the filing, government lawyers describe the center as "dangerously dilapidated, outdated and decrepit," with finances in similar disrepair. They say it has lost tens of millions of dollars a year for decades and is projected to lose about $100 million annually going forward. They also say the center paid its bills this month only because of $17 million Trump raised, money they say is being spent quickly and will run out without his backing. Without "appropriate recognition" for the president, they warn, the building could eventually collapse. The Independent notes that Congress appropriated roughly $258 million for restoration last year, and that ticket sales and subscriptions have fallen under the administration's leadership, putting the center on track for a projected $23 million deficit.

On Monday night, Sen. Mike Lee objected to a bill from Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, that would prohibit demolishing presidential memorials. A judge had earlier required 30 days' warning before any physical alteration, after the board voted to close the venue for repairs. Merkley called the demolition threats "straight out of the authoritarian playbook." Rep.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →