House Resolution Demands Kennedy Center Name Reversion and Immediate Resignation of Trump Appointees

This House Resolution is short, punchy, and highly specific: it aims to rewind a recent naming decision at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and force a major shakeup on its Board of Trustees. The resolution declares that any attempt to rename the institution to include “Donald J. Trump” alongside John F. Kennedy is “null and void” and a violation of the original 1964 John F. Kennedy Center Act (Public Law 88-260).

The Name Game and the Law

At its core, this resolution is about asserting Congress’s original intent. The 1964 Act established the Center solely as the national memorial to President Kennedy in the D.C. area. The House is now formally stating that the Board of Trustees violated federal law by allowing the redesignation to "The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." For the average person, this means the House is using its authority to stop a naming change that it views as legally incorrect, demanding the Board restore the original name immediately and remove any new signage installed after December 19, 2025.

Mandated Resignations: Beyond the Signage

This resolution goes far beyond a simple name correction. The most significant real-world impact is the demand that all officers and members of the Board of Trustees who were appointed by President Trump must “promptly resign from their positions.” Think of it this way: if you’re a high-level volunteer serving on a major cultural institution’s board, and your appointing authority is now politically out of favor, a legislative body is demanding you quit your post immediately, regardless of your performance or expertise. This is a rare and powerful move, effectively using a naming dispute to force a specific political turnover on the Board.

What This Means for Institutional Stability

While the resolution clearly benefits those who want to preserve the Kennedy Center’s singular dedication to JFK, the mandatory resignation clause raises real questions about governance. Boards of Trustees handle everything from fundraising and budget oversight to artistic direction. Forcing a mass, targeted resignation based on who appointed them—rather than any official misconduct—could destabilize the Center’s administration and operations. It sets a precedent where political disagreements over policy or naming conventions can be used to dictate personnel decisions at quasi-independent institutions. Essentially, this resolution asserts that the House of Representatives has the authority not only to correct a legal interpretation of a memorial but also to decide who gets to sit on the board that runs it, based on partisan lines. It’s a very direct political intervention into the management of a national cultural landmark.