(The Center Square) – Changing the name of Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport has been proposed by freshman Congressman Addison McDowell, a Republican from North Carolina.
Rep. McDowell, 31, who represents the 6th Congressional District, introduced the bill alongside Reps. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), Brandon Gill (R-Texas), and Guy Resand Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.).
“It is only right that the two airports servicing our nation’s capital are duly honored and respected by two of the best presidents to have the honor of serving our great nation,” McDowell said.
Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are the primary airports serving the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Dulles is named after John Foster Dulles, secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. The airport, originally constructed for $108.3 million on 10,000 acres in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, was dedicated on November 17, 1962. An additional 830 acres were acquired 20 years ago. More than 26 million passengers used Dulles in the 12 months ending in November, according to the latest available statistics.
Jack, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, stated that the effort aims to counter what he described as attempts to “cancel” President Trump during his post-presidency. “This legislation will cement his status in our nation’s capital as our fearless commander-in-chief, extraordinary leader, and relentless champion for the American people,” added Reschenthaler in a release from McDowell’s office.
Reagan National Airport, smaller than Dulles with 58 gates compared to 113, is located on 860 acres in Virginia. It originally opened in 1941 as National Airport. In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed legislation authored by Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) to rename the airport in honor of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan National also served over 26 million passengers in the same 12-month period ending in November. Together, Dulles and Reagan National airports handled a combined total of 53.1 million passengers during that time, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
