Republicans want to name the Kennedy Center Opera House after First Lady Melania Trump.
The House Committee on Appropriations voted to advance the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, authored language that was adopted as part of an amendment during markup that would name the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts theatres after First Lady Melania Trump.
“First Lady Melania Trump serves as the Honorary Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Kennedy Center,” said Republican Representative Simpson. “Naming a theater after her is an excellent way to recognize her appreciation for the arts. As Chairman of the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee—which oversees federal funding for capital repairs and operations and maintenance at the Kennedy Center—I am proud to honor her support and commitment in promoting the arts and humanities.”
Text of Rep. Simpson’s amendment: That the Opera House located in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts shall be known and designated as the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House”.
Rep. Simpson’s language is a part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. The measure was approved by the Committee with a vote of 33 to 28.
The Opera House is the second-largest theater in the Center, with 2,364 seats. It was designed for ballet, opera, and musical theater.
