Ronald Reagan Airport Name Change: 65,000 Signatures Collected To Remove Reagan's Name
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport might be renamed soon.
A petition for the removal of Ronald Reagan's name from the airport has been created and more than 65,000 signatures have been collected with the aim of removing the former President's name.
The petition was created by CREDO mobile, a California-based cell phone provider. It called out all Republican criticisms after President Barack Obama announced the renaming of Mt. McKinley to Mt. Denali last month. America's highest peak was originally named Mt. Denali before President Woodrow Wilson signed the Mount McKinley National Parks Act in 1917, thus renaming the mountain.
Despite the historical move, Republicans weren't happy with the rename. Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Dayton, Ohio, was one of the Republicans who was disappointed by the move.
"President McKinley was a proud Ohio Republican who was assassinated during his time in office while serving our nation and deserves the recognition Congress previously awarded him," said Turner.
In the petition, CREDO mobile explained the reason why they want Ronald Reagan's named removed from the airport, stating:
"President Obama just took a small but important step for recognizing the history, culture, and human rights of America's Native Americans when he decided to rename America's tallest mountain, Mount McKinley in Alaska, to its original name of Denali.
"But right-wing extremists in the Republican party, including House Speaker Rep. John Boehner, don't see it that way. Boehner announced he is 'deeply disappointed' in President Obama's decision. But in 1998, John Boehner and his fellow Republicans in Congress weren't so hesitant to remove a president's name from a public landmark when they decided to rename Washington National Airport after Ronald Reagan."
Washington National Airport was renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National airport in honour of the country's 40th President.
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