Whitehouse Expands Kennedy Center Probe Over $8 Million No-Bid Contract
Updated
Updated · OperaWire · Jul 11
Whitehouse Expands Kennedy Center Probe Over $8 Million No-Bid Contract
3 articles · Updated · OperaWire · Jul 11
Summary
July 23 is the deadline Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca for documents and answers as he widened a mismanagement investigation first opened in November 2025.
The expanded probe follows a whistleblower disclosure alleging federally appropriated funds were spent on rushed renovations and maintenance to suit President Donald Trump's preferences while bypassing long-standing contracting standards.
An $8 million no-bid flooring contract to a firm with no apparent concert-hall experience is among the claims, along with a reflecting-pool revamp already rusting and peeling and repainting work that allegedly cut corners.
Whitehouse also cited allegations that the center tore out a new bathroom floor because Trump disliked the color, rushed work to meet a deadline for a new 'FIFA Peace Prize,' and later rewrote contracting rules to justify no-bid awards.
The senator said earlier questions and document requests have gone unanswered, raising broader doubts about the board's financial management and whether its representations to Congress were made in good faith.