Trump Administration Seeks 2-Year Kennedy Center Closure, Cuts Over 12 Staff
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 19
Trump Administration Seeks 2-Year Kennedy Center Closure, Cuts Over 12 Staff
2 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 19
Summary
Late Friday, the administration asked a federal judge to let the Kennedy Center shut for two years, arguing the building is too "dangerously dilapidated and decrepit" to stay open.
More than a dozen employees were laid off the same day, including the lead spokesperson, further thinning what sources described as an already skeleton staff.
The closure push follows a ruling in Rep. Joyce Beatty’s lawsuit that blocked Trump’s name on the building and barred a full shutdown without notice; a judge also required 30 days' warning before major changes.
Trump and allies say restoring his name would revive fundraising, but current and former officials, performers and donors say his takeover drove cancellations, weak ticket sales and a lasting reputational hit.