Melania Trump Opera House at the Kennedy Center

The House Appropriations Committee has voted to rename the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., after First Lady Melania Trump. The move was tucked into a broader government funding bill aimed at avoiding a potential shutdown in late September.

No Republicans voted against the amendment, but one Democrat, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), a moderate and co-chair of the Blue Dog Caucus, voted in favor of it. The final vote was 33-25.

Republican Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho, who introduced the amendment, said it was an "excellent way to recognize [Mrs. Trump's] support and commitment to promoting the arts."

The First Lady currently serves as the Honorary Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Kennedy Center. President Donald Trump led an effort to install himself as Chairman in February, firing many members of the organization's board and the previous president.

According to a letter sent in May by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Grenell requested $256,657,000 for the Center's 2026 budget, nearly six times more than the previously requested amount.

The Kennedy Center Opera House would be renamed the First Lady Melania Trump Opera House if the bill is ultimately passed. There is still a long way to go before the renaming requirement can become law, as the full House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate must also approve the bill without changes.