(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate passed a sweeping tax cut and spending package Tuesday after rejecting several Democratic amendments.
Included among the rejections was a proposal by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., that would have tied new federal lease payments from Virginia’s busiest airports to safety improvements.
Warner’s amendment pushed to ensure that any increased lease payments from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority would be used for safety upgrades, security projects, and airspace improvements at Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International airports. Under current rules, those payments go into the general fund without guarantees they support safety or security projects.
The GOP-backed legislation is expected to double the amount of rent that Reagan National and Dulles pay the federal government, but it does not require that the funds be used to improve safety at the airports.
“There is simply no justification for raising lease payments on our region’s airports without dedicating those funds to what should be our top priority: keeping the flying public safe,” Warner said in a statement before the vote. “This amendment ensures that any additional resources from MWAA go exactly where they belong – into safety and security upgrades, nationwide aviation improvements, and a fitting memorial to those we tragically lost earlier this year.”
Warner’s proposal came in the wake of the Jan. 29 collision over Reagan National and the Potomac River that killed dozens of passengers and crew members. The crash, which involved American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army helicopter, raised concerns about airspace safety around the crowded airport.
The proposed amendment would have also established a permanent memorial at Reagan National honoring victims of the January crash and incorporated safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Department of Transportation. It also would have restored the Transportation Department’s ability to negotiate long-term leases with MWAA, a tool previously used to support airport planning and infrastructure investments.
Under its federal lease agreement, MWAA pays the federal government a baseline of $7.5 million per year, adjusted for inflation, for the use of Reagan National and Dulles, though payments in recent years have been around $6 million annually, according to the authority’s 2024 financial report.
Reagan National and Dulles handle more than 50 million passengers annually, with hundreds of daily flights in and out of the region, making safety and efficiency a key concern for travelers across Virginia.
With the Senate’s passage of the broader tax and spending bill, the measure now returns to the House for final approval before it heads to President Donald Trump’s desk ahead of the Fourth of July deadline.
