James Oberstar: “Mr. Speaker, the John F. Kennedy Center has long been envisioned and has been created and established as a living…”

“Mr. Speaker, the John F. Kennedy Center has long been envisioned and has been created and established as a living memorial to the late President Kennedy. It is also the Nation's premier cultural institution for the performing arts. Every year over 5 million people visit, attend, enjoy, and are enriched by performances at the Kennedy Center, particularly the Millenium State performances that are free to the public and operate 365 days a year. They are innovative performances that are available to all the people who come to our Nation's capital for whatever purpose, travel or business, leisure, and people come to enjoy those Millenium State performances in ever-increasing numbers. But, unfortunately, the Kennedy Center is sort of cut off from the rest of Washington, D.C. The original design of the center does not envision the structure situated as it is today.”