Jeff Merkley says Trump wants to destroy the Kennedy Center because the law bars his name on it
Jeff MerkleyU.S. senator from Oregon and ranking member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee
Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a statement that President Trump, without authorization from Congress, is trying to tear down the Kennedy Center because the law says Trump cannot put his name on the building. He made the statement after Sen. Mike Lee blocked his bill with Sen. Lisa Murkowski to bar the demolition of presidential memorials without an act of Congress.
“Perhaps the greatest living memorial for a president is the Kennedy Center, in honor of our slain president who championed the arts. But now President Trump—without authorization from Congress—is trying to tear it down. First, he destroyed its programming, and now, he wants to destroy the building itself. All because the law says Trump can’t put his name on the building.”
Official statement
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Should Donald Trump link the Kennedy Center's renovation to recognition for his administration?
On September 15, 2026, a federal judge barred the Kennedy Center board, chaired by Donald Trump, from inscribing "renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump" on its main building or renaming the grounds for him. The board then voted to close the main building, and Trump posted that renovation "cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board's approved name" and "will not take place" if that ruling is negative and not overturned. In Charlotte on September 16 he said the administration "should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down." The White House says the center will "inevitably continue to decline" without his intervention; Rep. Joyce Beatty's lawyers wrote that Trump said "if he is not recognized on the building, it will close and be ripped down." The dispute is over whether the renovation should depend on recognition for Trump's administration and what his remarks mean.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Press release on Sen. Merkley's official website, dated September 28, 2026. It gives his statement after Sen. Mike Lee blocked his request to pass the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act by unanimous consent.
Official statement
About this source
Second press release on Sen. Merkley's official website, dated September 29, 2026. It announces a bicameral version of the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act with Rep. Chellie Pingree and says Merkley's Senate request was blocked the night before.
Before the quotation
On September 28, Merkley asked the Senate for unanimous consent to pass the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act, a one-page bipartisan bill he co-led with Sen. Lisa Murkowski that would bar the demolition of any national memorial to a president without an act of Congress. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah objected and blocked the request.
After the quotation
On September 29, Merkley and Rep. Chellie Pingree announced a House and Senate version of the bill.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Trump should link the Kennedy Center's renovation and future to recognition for his administration. Merkley said Trump is trying to tear the building down without authorization from Congress because the law bars Trump from putting his name on it, and said the threats are "straight out of the authoritarian playbook." That criticizes the link between recognition and the building's fate, so we labeled it Condemned.
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More from this case
Read the full caseKerry Kennedy says Congress already funded the Kennedy Center's restoration and tells Trump "That's not your job"
“this is the memorial created by the United States Congress to a slain president. So, putting Trump's name on it would be like renaming the Washington Monument the Trump Washington Monument or the Trump Lincoln Memorial or the Trump Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. ... And their argument is they're not -- there is not money for it. But in the Big Beautiful Bill, they -- the Congress passed $246 million in order to restore the Kennedy Center. So that's just not true. ... So President Trump, do your job. Focus on the people's pain and the work that you're supposed to do in the -- in the Oval Office and not on the Kennedy Center. That's not your job.”Read statement
Trump tells TIME "I'm not committing to anything" on the Kennedy Center, says his administration "should be recognized"
“I’m not committing to anything. We’re going to see how it plays out in court,” … “But if I build it, and if I agree that for the rest of my life, I’m going to be putting up $100 million to have it open to people … then I think the Trump administration should be recognized.” … “Well, why would I want to stick with something that’s going to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, and I’m not even recognized?” … “It’s not me; it’s the administration.”Read statement
Chellie Pingree says “it is bonkers” and that Trump is “the No. 1 problem” the Kennedy Center has had
“It is bonkers. … The No. 1 problem the Kennedy Center has had is President Trump.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Jeff Merkley says Trump wants to destroy the Kennedy Center because the law bars his name on it". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3425-sen-jeff-merkley-said-in-a-statement-that