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Lawmaker alleges 'monumental waste' at Kennedy Center, cites $5 million in lost revenue
Summary
A lawmaker told the Environment and Public Works: Senate Committee that whistleblower documents show FIFA was allowed to occupy the Kennedy Center for three weeks at no charge, costing about $5,000,000 and accompanied by alleged no-bid contracts, nepotism and excessive spending; the transcript records allegations but no formal response from the Kennedy Center or White House.
A lawmaker told the Environment and Public Works: Senate Committee that whistleblower documents point to “monumental waste” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and alleged roughly $5,000,000 in lost revenue tied to privileged treatment and mismanagement.
“If you wanna see monumental waste, look no further than the Kennedy Center,” the lawmaker said, adding that whistleblowers provided documents showing that, after President Trump declared himself chairman, leadership allowed FIFA to occupy the entire campus “for 3 weeks for a grand total of $0.” The speaker said invoices and receipts showed additional problems, including “unprecedented spending on staff meals,” contracts awarded without competition, and jobs going to “family and friends with no qualifications.”
The lawmaker said the documents also show long-term hotel stays for new hires at the Watergate Hotel and cited physical maintenance concerns — “the columns rusting through fresh paint” and a reflecting pool that may need rebuilding — which the speaker linked to rushed work and an “illegal board vote” that preceded the installation of the president’s name on the building.
Those allegations were presented to the committee as claims supported by the whistleblowers’ paperwork; the transcript does not record a response from Kennedy Center leadership, FIFA or the White House during the remarks. The speaker described the pattern as “cronyism, corruption, and contempt for anyone who engages in oversight.”
The committee record in the transcript reflects accusations and documentary references but not documentary verification or rebuttal within the remarks. The lawmaker urged scrutiny of the center’s contracting, hiring and maintenance decisions and said Americans could be left paying for repairs and shoddy work. The transcript ends with the lawmaker characterizing the events as a deliberate hollowing out of the institution.
