A $250 Bill And ‘WMAGA’: GOP Lawmakers Push Legislation Honoring Trump

Late last month, Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steubeintroduced a bill that would halt any funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority unless its name was changed. Steube, whose southwest Florida district is about 950 miles from Washington, proposed WMATA be rechristened the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access or … WMAGA.

The legislation also called for Metrorail, the system’s flagship rail line, to be renamed the “Trump Train.”

The bill, Steube said in a statement,wouldsignal a “cultural shift away from bureaucratic stagnation toward public-facing excellence and patriotism.”

Steube’s proposal is just the latest in legislative offerings this year paying tribute to President Donald Trump. House Republicans have proposed at least eight bills since January to honor the president or burnish his image. They would, among other things, put Trump’s portrait on U.S. currency, carve his face onto Mount Rushmore, rename Washington Dulles International Airport for him and make his birthday a national holiday. Two bills, both introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), called for the House to expunge Trump’s impeachments in 2019 and 2021.

Longtime political observers say the GOP’s legislative love fest for the president is well outside of congressional norms. While members have often proposed legislation that honors presidents, it is almost never while they are still in office.

“It is unprecedented and to be honest with you, it’s completely wild,” John White, professor emeritus of politics at Catholic University, said in an interview. “History shows that most things are named after presidents after they have either long left office or been deceased.”