Ben Folds, the former artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at Washington's Kennedy Center, testified before a bicameral congressional forum on Tuesday 21 July, warning that Donald Trump's takeover of the venue had turned it into a "hyper-politicized environment". Folds argued that the Kennedy Center had long functioned as a neutral, apolitical institution until the Trump administration removed board members, installed the president as chairman and appointed supporters who overhauled its programming, eliminating what he called the "firewall" between politics and the centre's nonprofit mission.

Folds, who was appointed to his advisory role in 2017 and stepped down in February 2025, spoke for around five and a half minutes at the forum led by Senator Richard Blumenthal. He said the changes had left artists in an impossible position, citing guitarist Yasmin Williams, who was heckled by conservative activists last September after questioning the Center's direction while also facing criticism from the left for performing there at all. Folds concluded that the takeover had "hobbled" the Kennedy Center and damaged its previously successful business model and founding mission.