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re: Protest at Kennedy Center
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:06 am to IvoryBillMatt
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:06 am to IvoryBillMatt
Since you are usually excellent at facts and not protest talking points.
It appears like everything in DC. they couldn't budget their way out of a paper bag.
You are easily blaming Trumps blowhard arrogance. While dismissing establishment democrats inept and wasteful spending in DC.
No other President would ever pull the grift curtain back. Trump being a businessman it is simply not his M.O. to overlook missing money.
They put off renovations and repairs for decades. RESEARCH what artsy fartsy rainbow flag baby ferret breastfeed classes LGBTQ awareness..they achieved.
Maybe they put money into religion of peace crap with GWBush?
Or funneled money to Hollywood orgs with THE queen of Grey's Anatomy on the board?
It appears like everything in DC. they couldn't budget their way out of a paper bag.
You are easily blaming Trumps blowhard arrogance. While dismissing establishment democrats inept and wasteful spending in DC.
No other President would ever pull the grift curtain back. Trump being a businessman it is simply not his M.O. to overlook missing money.
They put off renovations and repairs for decades. RESEARCH what artsy fartsy rainbow flag baby ferret breastfeed classes LGBTQ awareness..they achieved.
Maybe they put money into religion of peace crap with GWBush?
Or funneled money to Hollywood orgs with THE queen of Grey's Anatomy on the board?
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:08 am to trinidadtiger
quote:
So Trump is correct when he says it will lose 100s of millions if the repairs are done.
Should we renovate the Air Force? As a nation, we decide to spend the money for defense.
As a nation, we decided to build and fund the Center as a memorial to JFK. Trump has decided not to follow that. Maybe he wasn't the best choice for Chairman of the Board.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:11 am to cajunangelle
quote:
It appears like everything in DC. they couldn't budget their way out of a paper bag.
Trump's BBB hit on $257 million to renovate the Center...whatever the bad management might have been. Why did the BBB low ball the amount?
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:13 am to IvoryBillMatt
Do you think the Trump administration audited the former treasurer of the Kennedy Center?
She is a Hollywood producer and was famed with the show Grey's Anatomy. Shonda Rhimes.
No. He saw the books and said wtf. Y e a r s of deficits and wasteful spending ignoring the building itself.
She is a Hollywood producer and was famed with the show Grey's Anatomy. Shonda Rhimes.
No. He saw the books and said wtf. Y e a r s of deficits and wasteful spending ignoring the building itself.
quote:Trump fired them as any businessman would. God only knows how they wasted the money on non-repairs.
Prior to the February 2025 changes under President Trump, the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees was chaired by David M. Rubenstein (a longtime philanthropist and major donor, originally appointed by President George W. Bush and reappointed by later presidents). Deborah F. Rutter served as President (since 2014).
storage.courtlistener.com
Officers (as of around January 2025) included:David M. Rubenstein, Chairman
Anthony Welters, Vice Chair
Deborah F. Rutter, President
Jacqueline Badger Mars, Secretary
Shonda L. Rhimes, Treasurer
Aswathi Zachariah, General Counsel
This post was edited on 9/21/26 at 6:15 am
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:18 am to IvoryBillMatt
quote:
Notable Biden appointees or associates who were among those later removed included Karine Jean-Pierre, Michael (Mike) Donilon, Jon Batiste, Stephanie Cutter, Evan Ryan, and others. Shonda Rhimes (an Obama appointee serving as treasurer) resigned shortly after the changes.
storage.courtlistener.com +1
Ex officio members (statutory, by virtue of office) included figures such as the Secretaries of HHS, State, and Education; the Librarian of Congress (then Carla Hayden); Chair of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser; D.C. Public Schools Chancellor; National Park Service Director; Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch; and various House and Senate leaders/members (e.g., Speaker, Minority Leader, and designated committee members). These positions are filled by whoever holds the relevant office.
storage.courtlistener.com
Honorary chairs have long included former First Ladies (Melania Trump, Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton).In early February 2025, Trump announced the termination of multiple trustees (reports indicate about 18, primarily Biden appointees, plus Chair Rubenstein), whose names were removed from the official site. Remaining or newly appointed members (largely Trump allies) then elected Trump as chair and made other leadership changes. The prior board reflected staggered six-year presidential appointments across administrations plus the fixed statutory ex officio seats.
nytimes.com +1
Exact full historical rosters can vary slightly by source and exact date due to staggered terms, but the above reflects the leadership and composition documented just before the 2025 overhaul.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:23 am to IvoryBillMatt
quote:
On budget audits: The Kennedy Center (a federally chartered entity that receives annual appropriations for operations/maintenance and capital repairs, plus earned/private revenue) has historically undergone independent audits and Single Audits, with audited financial statements transmitted to Congress. Recent Form 990 filings and reporting note that the independent audit for the fiscal year ending around September 2025 (spanning the leadership transition) was incomplete or delayed at the time of filing—described by some observers as unusual compared to prior practice. Earlier years (pre-2025) generally received unmodified opinions. Congress has appropriated funds (including a large ~$257 million infusion via recent legislation for capital repair/deferred maintenance), and GAO has reviewed capital planning/practices in the past. Internal projections and tax filings have shown revenue pressures (ticket sales, pledges) and expense issues post-2025 changes, alongside the federal renovation funds.
theatlantic.com +2
On building structure failures, reporting, and repairs: The Kennedy Center (opened 1971) has faced longstanding deferred maintenance and deterioration, documented in Comprehensive Building Plans (e.g., 2021/2022) and consultant reports. Issues include extensive water intrusion (from roofs, planters over expansion joints, failed waterproofing), corroding steel (described in places as crumbling like “tissue paper”), concrete spalling/cracking in garages/loading docks/service tunnels, outdated mechanical systems (chillers/boilers from the 1990s or older), electrical problems (rusted wiring, leaks in transformer vaults), fire safety/code deficiencies, lead paint/PCB sealants, and other envelope/systems failures. Emergency repairs and studies occurred in prior years (e.g., garage concrete work starting ~2023), but full-scale fixes were limited by funding levels, prioritization (e.g., private funding went to the REACH expansion), and the need to keep the performing arts venue operational.
washingtonexaminer.com +2
Reports and plans existed and were known internally and in some public/congressional contexts for years; they were not entirely unreported. Current leadership and officials have stated that prior administrations underfunded or deprioritized major structural work on the main building (focusing instead on expansions or other projects), allowing problems to compound until a large appropriation and planned multi-year closure/renovation became feasible. Major repairs (structural steel/concrete, waterproofing) often require closing primary access points or the facility, which was avoided while programming continued. Recent efforts secured the $257 million for backlog work, with tours and documentation highlighting the urgency; some early cosmetic or accelerated projects have drawn whistleblower complaints and congressional scrutiny over contracting/quality.
justthenews.com +1
In short, structural problems were identified in plans and inspections over multiple years but progressed due to deferred maintenance tied to funding, operational constraints, and prioritization choices. The current board (post-2025 reshaping) has emphasized addressing them via closure and the new appropriation. Financial oversight has included routine audits historically, with recent delays noted in public filings.
46 web pages
This post was edited on 9/21/26 at 6:27 am
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:25 am to IvoryBillMatt
quote:
I have no idea. Apparently, whoever drafted the BBB thought $257 million was money well spent
Or it was just pork
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:30 am to UtahCajun
quote:
Or it was just pork
Exactly. The DC delegation to Congress voted for that. Oh, wait, DC doesn't have voting representatives in Congress, and the Democrats voted overwhelmingly against the BBB.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:36 am to IvoryBillMatt
Or The treasurer, producer in Hollywood. Friends of Obamas.... Shonda Rhimes, gave the money to JayZ towards new rap videos of the arts. Or to BLM, or to blow to go up Beyonces nose.
No one would dare audit a black female Hollywood legend of the TV Show Grey's Anatomy...
No one would dare audit a black female Hollywood legend of the TV Show Grey's Anatomy...
This post was edited on 9/21/26 at 6:37 am
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:37 am to IvoryBillMatt
quote:
Exactly. The DC delegation to Congress voted for that. Oh, wait, DC doesn't have voting representatives in Congress, and the Democrats voted overwhelmingly against the BBB
Sounds like you are ok with the wastage and are more concerned with making the BBB, whoever drafted it as well as those who voted on it look bad.
You think I actually care about the BBB, whoever drafted it and who did or did not vote for it?
All I care about is wastage and it is obvious that is what is and has been happening here.
So get off the gotchas. I don't care about it.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:42 am to cajunangelle
quote:
Recent Form 990 filings and reporting note that the independent audit for the fiscal year ending around September 2025 (spanning the leadership transition) was incomplete or delayed at the time of filing—described by some observers as unusual compared to prior practice. Earlier years (pre-2025) generally received unmodified opinions
So the shady financial reporting started with Trump's leadership in 2025? That's why the "Trump raised 17 million" is fishy. There's no public record of it. It coincides with the 17.1 million in the account which the Washington Opera claims was raised for them.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:42 am to cajunangelle
Look at all those boomers, reliving their glory days of the 60’s…
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:51 am to SouthEasternKaiju
I drove through a few of their protests. I can affirm, they were all old...flipping cars off just for existing, but in a small town where everybody knows everyone for 60 years in generational steel milling...
They were strangers, old people bused in, if you can believe it. I kid you not.
They were strangers, old people bused in, if you can believe it. I kid you not.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:52 am to cajunangelle
quote:
They put off renovations and repairs for decades.
This is a situation where it's difficult to tell if Trump is exaggerating and gaslighting so he can justify closing and/or renovating it.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 6:56 am to IvoryBillMatt
quote:
Democrats voted overwhelmingly against the BBB.
Democrats vote overwhelmingly against anything Trump...this is not much of a gotcha kind of thing.
Closing it for renovations is the only way. shite...the remediation of the lead paint...how long does that take?
Posted on 9/21/26 at 7:00 am to cajunangelle
Ironically these liberal freaks think that JFK would be a conservative by their definition nowadays
Posted on 9/21/26 at 7:04 am to IvoryBillMatt
quote:
IvoryBillMatt
post after post after post at 4 to 5 AM
Posted on 9/21/26 at 7:07 am to Bunk Moreland
quote:
Trump is exaggerating and gaslighting so he can justify closing and/or renovating it.
It's nothing BUT gaslighting. The "close for two years" didn't come up until revenue projections plummeted because performers were so disgusted with renaming JFK's Memorial the "Trump Kennedy Center." The closing is a means of saving embarrassment.
The "unsafe for the public" charge didn't arise until AFTER the Center was safe enough to host the Melania Documentary gala.
Posted on 9/21/26 at 7:08 am to cajunangelle
Ivorybillmat is one of those protestors 
Posted on 9/21/26 at 7:08 am to RohanGonzales
I woke up at 5am so we are all on different time zones.
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