Former employees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts say center officials canceled a plan to overhaul leaking infrastructure months ago, despite now citing leaks as an urgent safety risk for closure. In a letter to Congress, their lawyer detailed concerns amid scrutiny of President Trump's oversight.

The center's main building remains closed due to what officials call escalating structural deterioration. The whistle-blowers argue problems were exaggerated, noting the center deferred responses over the past year. The center disputed this, with executive director Matt Floca saying new reviews revealed more severe damage than previously known.

Trump has championed a two-year closure for renovations with $257 million from Congress, though blocked by a federal court. Last week, officials announced temporary shutdown for acute safety risks. Democratic lawmakers accuse officials of using maintenance as a pretext for closure tied to financial and artistic decline under Trump.

Lawyer David Seide wrote that Floca secured $9.3 million for roofing issues in July 2025 and allotted $295,000 for design, but stopped remediation six months ago. Internal communications show a funding request canceled at Floca's direction in April, with unclear reasoning. Floca said cancellation was due to contractor costs being three times higher than projected.