A bipartisan effort to prevent President Donald Trump from demolishing the Kennedy Center without congressional approval has been blocked in the US Senate by Republican Senator Mike Lee.
The Utah senator objected on Monday night when Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon sought unanimous consent for the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act.
The proposed legislation, which Merkley introduced alongside Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, would require Congress to approve the demolition of any presidential memorial it has designated.
Under the proposal, landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Kennedy Center could not be demolished without explicit authorisation from lawmakers.
Merkley accused Trump of moving beyond changes to the Kennedy Center’s programmes and now targeting the building itself.
“First, he destroyed its programming, and now, he wants to destroy the building itself,” Merkley wrote in a statement. “All because the law says Trump can’t put his name on the building.”
He described the president’s reported plans as “straight out of the authoritarian playbook”.
Murkowski has also opposed the idea of demolishing the Kennedy Center, pointing out that Congress had already approved major renovation work for the building.
The Alaska Republican, who leads the Senate appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding the centre, said lawmakers had approved and financed substantial improvements.
“what was not authorized is a demolition of the Kennedy Center”, she said last week.
The disagreement is part of a broader legal battle that began after Trump returned to the White House and took control of the Kennedy Center.
Trump replaced members of the centre’s board with his own appointees and criticised its programming, describing it as “woke”.
His newly appointed board subsequently voted to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center.
However, federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that the name change was unlawful and stopped plans for the centre to close for two years.
Cooper again rejected an attempt to put Trump’s name on the building on September 15. Trump then said the planned $257m renovation would not proceed unless the ruling was overturned.
Concerns about a possible demolition emerged in August when Justice Department lawyers told a court that the building could eventually deteriorate to the point where it would have to be demolished.
They also suggested an outdoor amphitheatre could replace the facility.
A judge has since ordered that 30 days’ notice be given before any demolition plans are carried out. The Kennedy Center’s leadership has separately assured the court that the building will remain standing.
Lee’s opposition to the bill comes against the backdrop of his longstanding political alignment with Trump. He backed Trump’s efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
More recently, Lee has repeatedly pushed the Trump-supported Save Act in the Senate. The proposed legislation would require voter identification and proof of citizenship.
He also called on Trump in April to bring lawmakers back to Washington during a partial government shutdown so they could work towards ending the impasse and pass the legislation.
Explaining his position, Lee criticised Democrats for opposing measures backed by Republicans.
“Democrats should join us in lowering the cost of living and securing American elections instead of wasting the Senate’s time with partisan scaremongering they haven’t even tried to run through the appropriate committee process,” Lee told the Guardian.
