Rep. Tim Ryan alleged that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts received multimillion-dollar coronavirus relief because first lady Melania Trump is a trustee.
Last month, lawmakers passed a $2 trillion coronavirus emergency relief package, which included $25 million for the Kennedy Center for “deep cleaning, increased teleworking capabilities, and operating and administrative expenses to ensure the Center will resume normal operations immediately upon reopening,” according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Despite the relief, the Kennedy Center announced it would not be paying the National Symphony Orchestra players, but the parties later came to an agreement after the center received backlash.
Ryan, an Ohio Democrat who unsuccessfully fought for the party’s top position in the House in 2016 and the party’s 2020 presidential nomination, insinuated that President Trump signed a bill that inappropriately appropriated funds for the musical theater because his wife is one of the honorary trustees during a Wednesday interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business.
“Well, if you want to talk about the Kennedy Center, you should talk to the president about that one. Melania Trump sits on the board, and I think that had a little something to do with the Kennedy Center maybe getting a little bit of money,” Ryan stated after Bartiromo alleged some of his Democratic colleagues had been “playing around” with the legislation to score additional wins, specifically noting the Kennedy Center relief.
All of the Kennedy Center’s honorary trustees are either current or former first ladies, including Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rosalynn Carter.
