Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to revoke state grants for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston over religious accommodation facilities, specifically targeting a proposed Muslim ablution station at DFW.
Abbott announced Friday that state officials would review existing grants and deny future funding to the airports, also referring them to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for investigation. He stated on X that "Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others" and called the proposed ablution facility at DFW, which is used by Muslims for washing before prayer, "illegal."
"Texas will not allow illegal religious discrimination at taxpayer-funded facilities," Abbott declared, reiterating his calls for lawmakers to ban Sharia law in the state. He argued in a letter to DFW CEO Christopher McLaughlin that the facilities "appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion."
He noted that the wash station at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston is connected to a prayer room that includes religious texts and prayer items. Abbott stated he was unaware of similar standalone facilities being offered to other religious groups in Texas. He asserted that both federal and state constitutions prohibit the government from facilitating such discrimination, citing a previous instance in Grand Prairie where a Muslim-only event at a city-owned waterpark was canceled.
Hours after Abbott's announcement, DFW officials confirmed they were abandoning the plan for the ablution station at Terminal D. A spokesperson for the airport stated that while the project was under evaluation, the airport accelerated its review due to public interest and determined it "would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits."
The project had been registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on July 31, initially listed as privately funded with an estimated cost of $300,000 and completion by year-end. Airport officials later attributed these details to administrative errors by an external design firm, clarifying that the project had not received final approval and that airport funds, not taxpayer dollars, would have been used.
Under the scrapped proposal, DFW would have provided a dedicated space for Muslims to perform Wudu, the ritual washing of feet, in an effort to prevent passengers from using regular sinks, which had reportedly led to complaints of unhygienic conditions. George Bush Intercontinental Airport has had an ablution facility since 2024, described by airport officials as providing a "calming and welcoming prayer room" for passengers of all faiths. Similar facilities and interfaith spaces are available at other major U.S. airports, including Chicago O'Hare.