Virginia Democrats have blasted a new piece of legislation introduced by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) to rename the Washington Dulles International Airport in honor of former President Donald Trump.
The bill, which was put forward Friday, aims to have the Virginia airport, located about 26 miles outside of Washington, D.C., be designated as the “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
“In my lifetime, our nation has never been greater than under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump,” Reschenthaler said in a statement. “As millions of domestic and international travelers 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.”
The legislation, which has now been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is co-sponsored by GOP Reps. Michael Chuck Fleischmann (Tenn.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Troy Nehls (Texas), Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Barry Moore (Ala.), and Mike Waltz (Fla.).
The move has already drawn scrutiny from some of the state’s Democrats, including Rep. Gerry Connolly, who referenced the numerous criminal charges the former president is facing.
“If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison,” Connolly wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Rep. Don Breyer (D-Va.) recalled the total chaos that ensued following Trump’s decision in 2017 to sign an executive order banning travelers from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the country.
Breyer said he visited the facility at the time to reassure affected families and has associated these painful memories with Dulles Airport.
“I remember Republicans like those who wrote this bill hiding and giving mealy mouthed responses when asked about the suffering Trump’s Muslim ban caused,” Breyer wrote. “They know Dulles will never be renamed after Trump. Again, that’s not the point, the point is to suck up to their Dear Leader.”
The Muslim ban was reversed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who is running for governor in the state, blasted the legislation as “ridiculous, but sadly real,” adding that the lower chamber has more important priorities to confront.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) commented on the bill Tuesday, writing: “April fools was yesterday.”
The bill is unlikely to pass given the tight majority the GOP holds in the House and the opposition it will face in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The airport, which is located in Virginia’s Fairfax Country, opened in 1962 and was named after Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, who served in President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration from 1953 until 1959.