House bill would pay back airports close to resorts frequented by Trump

The House is likely to include language in its appropriations bill for transportation spending that would require at least $3.5 million in federal funds be used to reimburse airports in Florida and New Jersey that lose money when President Trump stays at his nearby resorts, Politico reported.

The language in the appropriations bill would affect at least three airports near Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., according to Politico.

When Trump stays at one of his resorts, those airports practically close because they fall within the “no-fly zone,” Jim Coon, the senior vice president of government affairs and advocacy for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), told the publication.

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The three airports affected by Trump’s travels are Somerset Airport in Bedminster Township, N.J., Solberg Airport in nearby Readington Township, N.J., and Lantana Airport in Palm Beach County, Fla.

The airports and their businesses told the AOPA that they lost more than $1 million a year because of Trump’s visits. They claimed Trump has stayed at either of his two resorts about 80 days in the last year.

While the language has yet to be finalized, its inclusion in the appropriations bill would make it likely to pass in the House.

The draft House bill would have the Transportation Department pay “airport sponsors that do not provide gateway operations” and also the businesses within the airports, according to Politico

Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.), one of the creators of the proposal, said in a statement that compensating the airports was a “matter of fairness.”