The Senate could vote as early as Wednesday to rename Washington National Airport in honor of Ronald Reagan under a deal in which Democrats have proposed stripping the name of the late J. Edgar Hoover from the FBI headquarters here.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked lawmakers to change the name to simply “The FBI Building” as the Senate began a largely partisan debate Tuesday about renaming National Airport, which sits along the Potomac River in Virginia.
Reid said he supports the Reagan bill but thought Hoover–a former FBI director who kept secret files on leading politicians, civil rights leaders and entertainers–had become a national embarrassment.
Republicans have been trying since last week to bring the Reagan bill to a vote before the former president’s 87 birthday Friday. They believe renaming the airport would be a fitting tribute to Reagan, who is battling Alzheimer’s disease.
