Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley asked the Senate to pass the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act by unanimous consent, a fast-track move that only works if no senator objects. Lee objected. The bill, written by Merkley alongside Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, would have banned demolition of any presidential memorial designated by Congress, including the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, unless lawmakers explicitly approved it.
Merkley didn't hold back on his reasoning. "First, he destroyed its programming, and now, he wants to destroy the building itself," he wrote, referencing earlier changes Trump made to the Kennedy Center before this push toward its physical structure.
The block means there's currently no legal barrier stopping Trump from moving ahead with demolition plans at the Kennedy Center, one of Washington's most recognizable cultural landmarks. For an institution that has hosted decades of national arts programming, the fight now shifts from architecture to politics, with Congress divided over whether a president needs permission to tear down a building lawmakers designated as a memorial in the first place.
A bill written by a Republican just got blocked by a Republican.