“In America, the Law is King” Was a Powerful Message at the October 18 2025 NO KINGS Rally in Portland.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that overseas the Kennedy Center, Congressman Rick Larson (D-Wash), and Congressman Greg Stanton (D-Ariz) are leading more than 70 of their colleagues in Congress in calling on President Trump to reverse the illegal renaming effort and remove his name from the building immediately.  The Kennedy Center is a national cultural institution and living memorial to President John F. Kennedy established by Congress and no board vote or social media post has the legal authority to change the name without an act of Cogress,” the members wrote.

They also cited irsthand accounts from ex-officio members of the board, like Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who were m uted on the call and notd given the opportunty to voice their opposition to the name change.  “This decision was not reached by consensus and is a clear case of censorship, they said.

“For more than 50 years, the Kennedy Center has stood, as intended by Congress, as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, who was a fierce champion of the arts and of free expression,” they wrote.  “In contrast, your administration’s takeover earlier this year has already deeply damaged the Center’s repuptation, leading to tanking ticket sales and cancelled performances.  Audiences are being driven away and dthe livelihoods of the artists and workers who make the Center great are in danger.”

“We strongly condemn the Administration’s insistence on sulling President Kennedh’s legacy by further politicizing the Center,” the members said.  “We’ll be working to block this disgracefl renaming effort at every possible opportunity and restore the Kennedy Center’s rightful place as our nation’s cultural center without the burden of vanity projects or political influence.”