Thanks to Nancy Pelosi the Kennedy Center received a massive $25 million bailout that was tucked away in the coronavirus relief package.
Days after receiving the $25 million, the Kennedy Center announced they were axing their staff despite receiving the bailout.
Well now the Kennedy Center has received some bad news. A GOP lawmaker has introduced a bill to rescind the funds and force them to pay back the $25 million they were given.
via the New York Post:
Leaked audio of an internal conference call revealed how executives at Washington, DC’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts lobbied lawmakers for the massive handout as part of a coronavirus stimulus package but then furloughed more than 700 staff.
Wisconsin GOP Congressman Bryan Steil on Friday introduced a bill to rescind the $25 million in funding, saying the $2 trillion aid bill, known as the CARES Act, had been hijacked for political purposes.
“The Kennedy Center should not have been allowed to jump the line,” Rep. Steil told The Post.
“They should not have had a sweetheart deal to allow them to get $25 million and jump the line in front of everybody else. That was wrong,” he added.
The GOP lawmaker said it was "appalling" that the Kennedy Center decided to furlough hundreds of employees immediately after receiving the large payment. Especially when businesses around the country are struggling to survive and healthcare workers are without critical equipment.
“When you see huge pieces of legislation and large amounts of spending move quickly, there’s always a risk that people will try to utilize that to obtain benefits for their pet projects. We saw that with the Kennedy Center,” he said.
In the initial stimulus package the Kennedy Center was going to receive just $1 million. Then at the last minute Nancy Pelosi came in demanding $35 million, which was eventually brought down to the $25 million.
Many conservatives already had a problem with the arts center receiving the money, and that was before they decided to axe hundreds of staff members.
Do you think the Kennedy Center should be forced to pay back the $25 million? Drop us a comment below!