A proposal from a Republican lawmaker to designate the Dulles airport outside of Washington, D.C. to the “‘Donald J. Trump International Airport’’ is sparking outrage from Virginia Democrats. 

“Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges. If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison,” a Democratic representative from Virginia, Gerry Connolly, wrote on X. 

The bill, H.R. 7845, was introduced by a Republican representative from Pennsylvania, Guy Reschenthaler, and has a handful of Republican co-sponsors so far.

The airport’s current namesake is John Foster Dulles, who was appointed as Secretary of State by President Eisenhower in 1953 and is known for facing several key foreign policy challenges during his tenure, including the “integration of Europe, escalation of the crisis in Indochina, U.S. response to the Hungarian Revolution, and the Suez Canal crisis of 1956,” the State Department notes. 

Other Democrats are criticizing the proposal as an attempt by Republicans to “suck up” to President Trump. 

“One of Trump’s first acts as president was a racist Muslim ban that blocked permanent American residents from their own country,” a representative from Virginia, Don Beyer, wrote on X, adding that he remembered going to Dulles to help “terrified families” at the time. 

“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,” Mr. Beyer 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.”

Yet another lawmaker was critical of the airport and thus said the new name would be fitting. “Dulles is an old, ugly airport that no one wants to see. So I think this is a fitting tribute to 45,” a representative from Pennsylvania, Brendan Boyle, wrote on X. 

Despite the backlash, the bill’s introducer is standing by Mr. Trump and his airport proposal. 

“In my lifetime, our nation has never been greater than under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump,” Mr. 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.”