Hill Country Chronicle

WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), along with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX), led a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of Texas lawmakers in a letter urging Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to allocate San Antonio International Airport (SAT) one of the new long-haul, round-trip flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

The recent FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 secured five new round-trip flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) from locations previously excluded from direct flights. The Department of Transportation recently announced the application procedures for eligible airlines and will award slots for new services this summer.

In the letter, the members wrote, “San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the country and is the largest majority-Hispanic city in the United States. Last year it was the fastest growing city by population in the country. The San Antonio region has a rich culture, from the Alamo to the arts, is home to research institutes with national significance like the Southwest Research Institute and the University of Texas Health Science Center, and has both the largest and most diverse joint base in the Department of Defense (DOD), Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), as well as the DOD’s largest hospital, Brooke Army Medical Center.”

"Section 502 requires the new direct flights either: (1) benefit travelers from communities without existing nonstop service to DCA, or (2) have a positive impact on the level of competition in the markets served by the new routes. As one of the largest cities in the country without a direct flight to DCA, San Antonio undoubtedly meets the letter and spirit of the legislation,” added Texas lawmakers.

Additional signers of the letter include Sen. John Cornyn, Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Henry Cuellar, Greg Casar, Monica Del La Cruz, Tony Gonzales, Wesley Hunt, Lance Gooden, Ronny Jackson, Vicente Gonzalez, Brian Babin, Randy Weber, Beth Van Duyne, Pat Fallon, Colin Allred, Jasmine Crockett, Dan Crenshaw, Nathaniel Moran, Michael Cloud,

Sylvia Garcia,

August Pfluger,

John Carter,

Kay Granger,

Troy Nehls,

Morgan Luttrell,

Keith Self,

Jake Ellzey,

Pete Sessions,

Michael McCaul,

Roger Williams,

Marc Veasey,

Michael Burgess

and Lizzie Fletcher.

Read full text here.

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