MAGA extremists in the House took one look at Ron DeSantis’ losing war on Disney and said: Yum, gimme a piece of that! The Florida governor’s crusade was apparently just extremist enough, just dumb enough, and just unpopular enough to have that ineffable MAGA appeal. So House Republicans got to work on the people's business of figuring out how to wedge their way into DeSantis’ dustup with the most adored company on the planet.
Republican Congressman Troy Nehls of Texas had the perfect vehicle: a bill he introduced last year called the AIR Act (Airlines Independent of Restrictions Act), which would rescind the federal no-fly zones over Disney properties in Florida and California—Disney World and Disneyland, respectively. The no-fly zones were enacted in 2003 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The bill's seven cosponsors are a cohort of MAGA's finest, including Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
Nehls' press release reintroducing the legislation said the impetus behind the bill is the fact that Disney is getting special treatment compared to other theme parks.
"Disney is the only theme park in the United States that benefits from the restriction for the commercial gains of eliminating banner ads and disruptive aircraft from their parks," says the press release.
But Boebert's statement reveals the measure's real MAGA appeal.