Kennedy Center Protection Act

Legislative Summary: H.R. 6925 - Kennedy Center Protection Act

Overview

The Kennedy Center Protection Act (H.R. 6925) is a legislative proposal designed to prevent the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to strip the Center's Board of Trustees of the authority to change the institution's name. The bill is a direct response to a December 18, 2025, vote by the Board of Trustees to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."

Main Purpose and Intent

The primary intent of this bill is to preserve the original statutory name of the Kennedy Center. The legislation asserts that the Board of Trustees exceeded its legal authority by attempting to rename the center, arguing that only Congress possesses the legislative power to change the name of the institution. The bill explicitly frames the renaming of federal buildings for sitting presidents as a concerning trend toward authoritarianism.

Key Provisions

The bill mandates several immediate actions and long-term restrictions:

• Voiding the Name Change: It officially declares the December 18, 2025, vote to rename the center as void.
• Mandatory Signage Removal: Within one day of the Act's enactment, the Trustees must remove any signage or identification that differs from the official name "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."
• Restoration of Records: All laws, maps, regulations, publications, and official records that were updated to reflect the new name must be reverted to the original name.
• Permanent Limitation of Authority: The bill amends the John F. Kennedy Center Act (20 U.S.C. 76k) to explicitly prohibit the Board of Trustees from ever voting on, proposing, or authorizing a name change for the Center.
• Financial Accountability: The Trustees are required to submit a report to Congress within 30 days detailing all public and private funds spent to implement the name change.

Affected Parties

• The Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center: Their authority is significantly curtailed, and they are tasked with the physical and administrative reversal of the name change.
• The US Government: Federal agencies maintaining maps, records, and regulations must ensure the name is reverted.
• The Public: The general public and patrons of the arts will see the restoration of the original signage and branding.

Procedural Status

• Introduced: December 23, 2025.
• Current Status: As of February 2, 2026, the bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management under the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.