Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has sent a letter to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts detailing allegations from whistleblowers that some renovations were "rushed" and federal contracting laws "were ignored" to get the center ready for events, including Donald Trump receiving the FIFA "peace prize" during the World Cup draw he hosted there in December.

"I have received allegations that the Kennedy Center has conducted rushed renovation and maintenance work with disregard to its commitments to Congress and the federal contracting standards the Center has long applied to its own procurements," Whitehouse wrote in the letter dated Thursday. The allegations stem from a whistleblower disclosure submitted by the Government Accountability Project, which includes "the firsthand accounts of multiple former Center project managers, supported by contemporaneous documents and photographs."

Among the claims: a "cosmetic and rushed revamp of the Center's Reflecting Pool is already rusting and peeling, and will need to be fully rebuilt"; Trump's "preferred contractor cut corners when repainting the Center's columns, sticking taxpayers with the repair bill"; an "$8m no-bid flooring contract went to a firm with no apparent concert-hall experience"; and the Kennedy Center "tore out a brand-new bathroom floor because President Trump didn't like the color." Whistleblowers also alleged the Center "rewrote its own contracting rules in a post hoc effort to justify the no-bid contracts awarded to facilitate the rushed renovations."

"Instead of pursuing renovations tailored to the building's actual needs, the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President's aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December," Whitehouse said. "This is waste, and it treats a national memorial to President Kennedy as if it were a private renovation project." He requested documents and answers from the Center's executive director by July 23.

The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but spokesperson Roma Daravi - a former White House communications staffer under Trump - told the New York Times the allegations are incorrect, stating the Center operates with "rigorous financial oversight" and is "fully committed to transparency." The White House also did not respond, but a spokesperson accused previous Kennedy Center leadership of neglect, saying "President Trump did what Democrats wouldn't" by committing resources to fix the Center. This follows Trump securing $257 million from Congress for repairs last year. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA) called the allegations "serious and concerning," urging the Board of Trustees to ensure the $257 million is used for legitimate repairs, not "cosmetic nickel and dime fixes that don't last."