Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is accusing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts of rushing renovations, awarding an $8M no-bid flooring contract and concealing substandard work to prepare for events tied to President Donald Trump.Whistleblower disclosures from the Government Accountability Project and accounts from former project managers describe rusting steel columns hidden under fresh paint, a reflecting pool that may need full reconstruction and a bathroom floor removed over a tile color dispute.The Kennedy Center defends its financial oversight and denies bypassing contracting standards while the White House highlights $257M that Congress approved for repairs and praises Donald Trump’s role in securing funding.Senator
Sheldon Whitehouse has pressed executive director
Matt Floca for documents and answers by a deadline set for later this month, and Representative
Rick Larsen has urged trustees to ensure funds pay for critical repairs rather than cosmetic changes.