Texas Representative Tony Gonzales (R) recently addressed Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D) about the importance of having a nonstop flight from San Antonio to Washington, D.C.
According to federal law, direct flights to and from Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) are limited to no more than 1,250 miles outside the airport. However, the government is able to make an exception.
Recently, Congress agreed to add five new openings to the DCA. Rep. Gonzales's statement highlights the amount of veterans in the San Antonio region. For example, Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) employs over 82,000 “active-duty members and civilian employees”. Furthermore, Bexar County has over 159,000 veterans who are residents.
“San Antonio is home to one of the largest military populations in the nation. I know that it is critical that we equip our military personnel with the tools they need to succeed. One of those tools is travel, and we have yet to see a direct flight added from DCA to San Antonio. There are a significant number of personnel that travel back and forth from San Antonio to our nation’s capital,” said Rep. Gonzales.
The congressman continued, “It is critical that we make this as painless as possible for our men and women in uniform. Currently, there are discussions about adding a direct flight between San Antonio and DCA—I'm in full support of that.”
Earlier in the year, Rep. Gonzales hosted some of his GOP colleagues at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I’m hosting @SpeakerJohnson and my @HouseGOP colleagues in San Antonio tonight and Eagle Pass tomorrow. We’ll hear from Border Patrol, law enforcement, and stakeholders on the ground. Republicans are ready to tackle this crisis,” tweeted Rep. Gonzales.
“The goal is for House Republicans to be focused on solutions towards the border as we get into ’24 year, and we start to tackle some of these legislative priorities.”
Republicans have faced scrutiny recently and have been subjected to much infighting. After the controversial “Freedom Caucus” pushed to remove former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R) from office, the House lacked a speaker for two weeks. After a long ordeal, Speaker Mike Johnson was eventually selected.
