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Kennedy Center board votes to close over financial woes, Trump branding dispute: Report
The board said the venue faces bankruptcy and unsafe conditions after a judge blocked a new Trump naming plan.
Kennedy Center board members voted Tuesday to close the performing arts venue, citing "dire" financial and structural conditions amid an ongoing dispute over renaming the building for President Donald Trump.
Attempting to secure funding, the board previously voted to rename the facility "Trump Plaza," but Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the institution cannot install memorials for Trump without Congress's blessing.
Although the board claims the center is in a "dire" financial position, Judge Cooper noted the institution still has access to $257 million appropriated by Congress for necessary capital improvements.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, praised the court's ruling, stating the center is named for President Kennedy "and no one else," while accusing President Trump of holding the memorial hostage for vanity.
As the board threatens to keep the Kennedy Center closed for two years, legal disputes continue over whether the board can bypass statutory restrictions on renaming the site to resolve its fiscal crisis.