The Reagan Presidential Foundation on Tuesday unveiled a 9-foot-statue of the former president at the Washington, D.C. airport bearing his name.
The $900,000 cost of the 900-pound statue was covered by private donations, as were the cost of statues that are being unveiled in Simi Valley, California; Budapest; and London.
Democratic President Bill Clinton signed legislation in 1998 renaming Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after the Republican-controlled Congress pushed the bill through. Critics complained at the time that Reagan was already slated to have an International Trade Center on Pennsylvania Avenue and Nimitz-class aircraft carrier named after him.
Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-VA) called the move by Republicans an "arrogant abuse of power" because the airport was already named after another president: George Washington.
Former Sens. Bob and Elizabeth Dole attended the unveiling along with current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
