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WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives quietly took a step Tuesday toward renaming the Kennedy Center’s iconic opera house after first lady Melania Trump.
Language inaugurating the Melania Trump Opera House was tucked by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) into an amendment to a government funding bill that cleared the House Appropriations Committee.
“Naming the Opera House at the Kennedy Center after [Melania Trump] is an excellent way to recognize the first lady’s appreciation for the arts,” Simpson declared after lawmakers approved the amendment.
“I am proud to honor her support and commitment in promoting the arts and humanities.”
The amendment cleared the Appropriations panel by a 33-25 vote, with Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) joining Republicans in backing it.
The opera house, one of three major performing venues at the waterfront complex which opened in 1971, seats 2,347 patrons and is the home theater of the Washington National Opera as well as the site of the televised Kennedy Center Honors every December.
Back in February, President Trump declared himself the chairman of the Kennedy Center and retooled its Board of Trustees.
“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth – THIS WILL STOP,” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social at the time. “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Last month, the president and first lady attended a performance of “Les Misérables,” whose show-stopper “Can You Hear The People Sing?” has been featured at Trump’s campaign rallies.
The House Appropriations Committee advanced its government funding bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations, which is one of 12 bills Congress needs to pass by Oct. 1 to fund the government.
But that bill, which funds agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the US Forest Service, still needs to clear the full House and the Senate, where Democrats can filibuster.
Simpson’s amendment is the latest in a series of Republican tributes to the president.
In January, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) introduced a bill to put Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore. Several weeks later, freshman Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) unveiled a proposal to put the 45th and 47th president’s face on the $100 bill.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) introduced legislation in February to designate Trump’s birthday — June 14 — a national holiday, while Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) pushed a measure to enable Trump to run for a third term.
In May, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) proposed a bill to block federal funds for the Washington, DC underground transit system until it renames the Metrorail as the “TRUMP TRAIN.”
Multiple Republicans have also called for Trump to be given a Nobel Peace Prize for his foreign policy successes.
