\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Kennedy Center<\/a> changed its bylaws earlier this year to limit voting to board members appointed by the president. <\/p>\n \n\tIn a new report, The Washington Post<\/em> confirmed<\/a> the performing arts center adopted a revised set of rules in May to specify that board members designated by Congress \u2014 known as ex officio members \u2014 could not vote or count toward a quorum. Only those who were presidentially-appointed by Donald Trump<\/a> would have their vote counted. This preceded a vote on Dec. 18 in which the board voted to change<\/a> the D.C. institution\u2019s name to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. <\/p>\n \n\tThe Kennedy Center currently has 34 presidentially-appointed board members, including Trump as the chair, and 23 ex officio seats. Per federal law, ex officio members include the librarian of Congress, the mayor of Washington, D.C., the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate. <\/p>\n \n\tAccording to the Post<\/em>, the Kennedy Center\u2019s bylaws have not necessarily previously designated ex officio members as able to vote. However, the publication reported that the Center\u2019s most recent tax filings listed 59 \u201cvoting members\u201d of its governing body, which includes both general and ex officio members. A former Kennedy Center staffer\u00a0said ex officio members were \u201calways included in debate and discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cTheoretically they could vote, but our practice was not to have them vote or count toward quorum,\u201d the staffer told the Post<\/em>. <\/p>\n \n\tSeveral other revisions were made to the Center\u2019s bylaws in March, including the wording that general trustees \u201cserve at the pleasure of the President.\u201d The revisions also feature a provision saying the president can be appointed as the chief executive officer and can be compensated for the position. <\/p>\n \n\tAlmost immediately after taking office again in January, Trump moved to take over the preeminent cultural institution. In an effort to make the Kennedy Center \u201cGREAT AGAIN,\u201d as he wrote on Truth Social back in February, Trump gutted the center\u2019s bipartisan board, installed a crony as interim executive director, and\u00a0made himself chairman<\/a>. In December, the new signage appeared on the facade.\u00a0<\/p>\n