Wyden backs bill to ban presidents from re-naming buildings after themselves

Published 11:33 am Wednesday, January 14, 2026

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden announced Wednesday he will join legislation aimed at preventing sitting presidents from re-naming federal buildings or government land after themselves.

The proposal, called the Stop Executive Renaming for Vanity and Ego — or SERVE— Act, comes after the Trump administration’s recent moves to rename the U.S. Institute of Peace and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Jump — actions supporters of the bill say violate existing federal law.

Wyden criticized the renaming’s as self-serving and out of step with the needs of working families.

“Donald Trump is more focused on putting his name on buildings than he is on helping families in Oregon and across the country afford food, housing, or health care,” Wyden said in a statement. “This legislation will help ensure that presidents can’t abuse the Oval Office or taxpayer dollars with shameless vanity projects while depriving families of the help they need.”

The SERVE Act would prohibit naming or renaming any federal property after a sitting president and bar the use of federal funds for such changes. The bill would also apply retroactively, requiring federal assets currently bearing the name of a sitting president to revert to their previous names as defined under federal law.

The measure was introduced by a trio of U.S. senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland. In addition to Wyden, co-sponsors include Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Adam Schiff of California and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.