Democrats push back on airport naming bid

Democrats pushed back Tuesday against a Republican proposal to rename Dulles International Airport — the main international airport serving Washington, D.C. — after former President Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges. If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison,” Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly said in a statement.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said the effort to valorize Trump reflects his authoritarian grip on the Republican Party.

“They know our airport will never be named after Trump,” Beyer said. “The point is to suck up to their Dear Leader.”

The two-page bill introduced by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., would officially rename Dulles to Donald J. Trump International Airport.

“As millions fly through the airport, … there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing ‘Welcome to Trump International Airport’ as they land on American soil,” Reschenthaler said in a statement.

So far, six GOP lawmakers have co-sponsored the bill.

The bill would have to pass the evenly divided House of Representatives and would be unlikely to even get a vote in the Democratic-led Senate. President Joe Biden would need to sign the bill even if it were to pass Congress.

The Washington, D.C., area already has one airport named after a Republican ex-president. Former President Bill Clinton in 1998 signed into law a measure naming Washington National Airport after Ronald Reagan.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a retiring Democrat whose northern Virginia district includes Dulles, said the bill shows how “unserious” Republicans are about actually getting work done.

“Let’s get to work on the real issues the American people sent us here for, not renaming an airport after someone who sought to undermine our democracy,” Wexton said.