Texas Republican Seeks To Drop No-Fly-Zones Over Disney Theme Parks

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t the only Republican lawmaker taking aim at the Walt Disney Co. DIS.

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) is seeking to eliminate the company’s federal no-fly-zone privileges over its U.S. theme parks.

What Happened: Fox News reported that Nehls, a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, sent letters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to address the no-fly-zones that Disney successfully had enacted as part of a 2003 omnibus bill. Nehls claims Disney used the post-9/11 concerns over airborne terrorism to get the legislation passed and added that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the Obama administration questioned the validity of those concerns.

"Other independent observers have long questioned the security rationale for these ‘no-fly zones,’" Nehls wrote. "In 2003, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the decision ‘angered pilots across the country who accuse Disney of manipulating the nation’s terrorism fear for one clear commercial aim: to close public airspace over its parks as a way to ban competitors’ aerial advertising planes and sightseeing helicopters.’"

Nehls insisted reserved airspaces “should be reserved for compelling national security and safety needs” including military installations and natural hazards.

Nehls did not explain why he suddenly decided to raise the issue at this point.

See Also: DeSantis Says Disney Got A 'Wake-Up Call' By Losing Reedy Creek Special Status

What Else Happened: Not to be outdone, DeSantis used a Monday press conference announcing a manatee protection program to criticize Disney’s relationship with China’s government.

"Disney has done a lot to partner with the Chinese Communist Party and has really made a fortune over there without raising a peep about any of their atrocities," DeSantis said. "I think China is the number one geopolitical threat that this country faces." he said, going further to consider China’s geopolitical machinations.

"I think that we need to have strong alliances with the Japanese, South Koreans, I think India needs to be in our orbit to try to check China's influence around the world, but particularly when you start talking about the Western Hemisphere, it's a big problem. It's not just South America, you see them in the Caribbean flexing their muscle."

However, DeSantis didn’t explain the connection between China, Disney and manatees.

Photo: I am R. / Flickr Creative Commons