April 9, 2020
The Honorable Elaine Chao
Secretary of Transportation
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
Dear Secretary Chao:
We write today regarding the Department of Transportation’s Order 2020-4-2, which was
finalized on April 7, 2020, and establishes the parameters for implementation of authorities
granted to you by Sections 4005 and 4114(b) of the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act. We are concerned that the Department’s method to identify covered
points could leave certain airports that provide critical services without air carrier service and
would like to receive additional information about this decision. In particular, we encourage the
Department to reconsider the City of Newport News, and by extension the Newport News /
Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), as an independent point of service for the purposes of
Sections 4005 and 4114(b).
Under Order 2020-4-2, the Department identifies Norfolk, Virginia as an encompassing point of
service for the broader Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia Metropolitan Area.
While this may appear appropriate based on the broad city market identification data from the
Bureau of Transportation Statistics and given the relative geographic proximity of Newport
News to Norfolk, in actuality, the two airports serve distinct populations and provide unique and
different services.
As you may know, Newport News and Norfolk are both surrounded and separated by water. The
only physical connection is through two tunnels and a single bridge that span Norfolk Harbor at
the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay. Residents of the area are confronted with traffic
congestion at all hours of the day when trying to cross these bridges and tunnels. Recognizing
this, the region has committed to spend billions of dollars in the coming years to expand their
traffic capacity. However, in the meantime, passage from Newport News to Norfolk is neither
quick nor easy.
With roughly 180,000 residents, Newport News is the fifth largest city in Virginia, and the
airport serves more than half a million residents on the Virginia Peninsula. Notably, Newport
News is home to Huntington Ingalls Industries, the only builder of Navy aircraft carriers in the
country, and one of only two nuclear submarine builders in the United States. Newport News is
also the home of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Jefferson National Laboratory, which
conducts important nuclear physics research. Further, the Virginia Peninsula is the site of
several high-profile military facilities and commands located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, in
addition to NASA’s Langley Research Center. PHF is the quickest and best option for service to
all of these facilities. A potential hiatus in air carrier operations as a result of the Department’s

 proposed parameters for the implementation of the CARES Act threatens to negatively affect
these critical national security operations.
We understand the urgency of the current situation – the impact of this pandemic has been felt by
all and aid must be delivered as quickly as possible. It is our understanding that PHF and the
City of Newport News submitted correspondence to the Department on this issue prior to the
final ruling. We urge you to reconsider the critical services provided at PHF and establish
Newport News as a specified point of service by the Department.
We look forward to working with you as we all continue to respond to this crisis. Thank you for
your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,

______________________________
Mark R. Warner
United States Senator

______________________________
Tim Kaine
United States Senator

______________________________
Robert C. “Bobby” Scott
Member of Congress

______________________________
Robert J. Wittman
Member of Congress

______________________________
Elaine G. Luria
Member of Congress