Whistleblowers Accuse Kennedy Center of Misusing Federal Repair Funds

Former employees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have submitted internal documents to Congress alleging that leadership misappropriated federal funds and exaggerated structural risks to justify closing the facility. The whistleblowers claim Executive Director Matt Floca canceled a plan to repair leaking roof overhangs six months ago despite securing $9.3 million in federal funding. They further allege that $1.4 million intended for waterproofing was instead used to repaint the center's exterior columns white, a priority of President Donald Trump.

Matt Floca and the institution dispute these claims, asserting that recent reviews uncovered more extensive damage than previously known and that the initial repair cancellation resulted from excessive contractor costs. The center is currently closed temporarily due to acute risks to public safety, including a recent ceiling collapse in the Grand Foyer.

This dispute follows a federal court decision blocking President Trump's push for a longer two-year renovation. Democratic lawmakers suggest the maintenance issues are a pretext for a shutdown driven by the institution's financial and artistic decline under Trump's leadership. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has demanded a full financial accounting following the submission of evidence by lawyer David Hieronymus Seidel.