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Congress gave $25 million to help the Kennedy Center weather the coronavirus. Now some politicians w
Source: Washington Post
Congress gave $25 million to help the Kennedy Center weather the coronavirus. Now some politicians want it back.
By Peggy McGlone
April 3, 2020 at 3:57 p.m. EDT
The $25 million emergency funding for the Kennedy Center was already a controversial piece of the $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package, but criticism of it grew after the arts center furloughed hundreds of employees Tuesday, within days of the bill’s passage last week. The cuts, characterized as temporary, brought the center’s coronavirus-related job losses to more than 1,100.
Now, some of the politicians who approved the grant are among the loudest critics. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) this week introduced a bill to rescind the funding, which he described as “frivolous spending in the midst of a national emergency” and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) called the job cuts shameful. “If an organization is receiving assistance from the federal government, we expect them to take care of their workers,” he said in a statement.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), chair of the House subcommittee that funds the arts center, promised to review the staff reductions.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Kennedy Center has decided to furlough employees. It was our clear understanding that with this financial relief, layoffs and cuts to benefits would be avoided,” McCollum said in an email to The Washington Post on Thursday. “I will be doing my due diligence on oversight into the Kennedy Center’s actions.”
The arts center’s board of trustees is required to submit a report by Oct. 31 to the House and Senate appropriations committees “that includes a detailed explanation of the distribution of the funds provided,” according to the stimulus regulations.
-snip-
By Peggy McGlone
April 3, 2020 at 3:57 p.m. EDT
The $25 million emergency funding for the Kennedy Center was already a controversial piece of the $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package, but criticism of it grew after the arts center furloughed hundreds of employees Tuesday, within days of the bill’s passage last week. The cuts, characterized as temporary, brought the center’s coronavirus-related job losses to more than 1,100.
Now, some of the politicians who approved the grant are among the loudest critics. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) this week introduced a bill to rescind the funding, which he described as “frivolous spending in the midst of a national emergency” and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) called the job cuts shameful. “If an organization is receiving assistance from the federal government, we expect them to take care of their workers,” he said in a statement.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), chair of the House subcommittee that funds the arts center, promised to review the staff reductions.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Kennedy Center has decided to furlough employees. It was our clear understanding that with this financial relief, layoffs and cuts to benefits would be avoided,” McCollum said in an email to The Washington Post on Thursday. “I will be doing my due diligence on oversight into the Kennedy Center’s actions.”
The arts center’s board of trustees is required to submit a report by Oct. 31 to the House and Senate appropriations committees “that includes a detailed explanation of the distribution of the funds provided,” according to the stimulus regulations.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/congress-gave-25-million-to-help-the-kennedy-center-weather-the-coronavirus-now-some-politicians-want-it-back/2020/04/03/5e5746f0-7525-11ea-85cb-8670579b863d_story.html
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