House Republicans have advanced a proposal to rename the Kennedy Center’s Opera House after First Lady Melania Trump, an initiative that appeared in a spending bill for the Interior Department and other agencies that would take effect in fiscal year 2026.

Representative Mike Simpson, a Republican from Idaho, who chairs the relevant appropriations subcommittee, added the provision, which cleared committee in a vote last week.

Simpson defended the renaming as recognition of Melania Trump and her “commitment in promoting the arts and humanities.” His spokesperson, Lexi Hamel, clarified that President Donald Trump did not request the change, contrary to speculation from some quarters.