犹他州共和党参议员迈克·李于周一晚间阻止了俄勒冈州民主党参议员杰夫·默克利试图禁止特朗普总统拆除肯尼迪中心的动议。
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Monday night blocked an attempt from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to prohibit President Trump from demolishing the Kennedy Center.
默克利试图通过一致同意程序（若无人反对则可绕过全院投票）通过该法案，该法案还得到了阿拉斯加州共和党参议员丽莎·穆尔科夫斯基的支持。
The bill Merkley attempted to pass under unanimous consent, which would have bypassed a floor vote if no one had objected, also had the support of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
此前，在一法院阻止特朗普将自己的名字加到肯尼迪中心正面的肯尼迪名字旁边后，特朗普威胁要拆除该表演艺术中心。
Trump has threatened to tear down the performing arts center after a court blocked him from adding his name to Kennedy’s on its facade.
政府目前还在法庭上就特朗普想要进行的实质性翻修挑战进行辩护，辩称该建筑“破旧不堪”，需要全面改建。默克利周一晚在参议院发言要求采取行动，但遭到了李的反对。
The administration is also in court fighting a challenge to substantive renovations Trump wants to do, arguing that the building is “decrepit” and in need of a full remodel. Merkley called for action on the Senate floor Monday night, but was met with an objection from Lee.
默克利事后在一份声明中表示，他的法案本可以防止未经国会立法就拆除任何旨在纪念美国总统的国家纪念碑。
In a statement after the fact, Merkley said his bill would have prevented demolition of any national memorial to honor a U.S. president without an act of Congress.
默克利说：“特朗普的威胁完全出自专制者的剧本，应该激怒每一个珍视我国历史和法治的美国人。”
“Trump’s threats are straight out of the authoritarian playbook and should infuriate every American who values our nation’s history and the rule of law,” Merkley said.
就在几分钟前，李还反对了默克利的另一项动议，该动议原本旨在阻止特朗普在阿灵顿公墓和林肯纪念堂之间建造一座巨大的大理石拱门。
“Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars putting Trump’s name on memorials and monuments as if he is a king, we should be focused on putting money back into the pockets of working families and honoring America’s greatest cultural institutions, not destroying them.”
弗吉尼亚州民主党众议员唐·拜尔上周警告称，尽管法院下令在开工前发出事先通知，但特朗普似乎仍在为建造该拱门奠定基础。
Moments earlier, Lee also objected to a Merkley motion that would have blocked Trump from building a colossal marble arch between the Arlington Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) warned last week that Trump appears to be laying the groundwork for construction of the arch, despite a court order demanding prior notice before work begins.