DFW Airport scrapped its plan to install Islamic foot-washing stations after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a review of state grants to Texas airports.
Abbott, 67, directed the review on Friday and referred both DFW and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation, his office announced. The Republican governor also threatened possible revocation of existing state grants and denial of future funding to entities operating both airports.
“Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others,” Abbott wrote on X Friday.
“DFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I’ve directed a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and referred DFW & IAH to USDOT for investigation.
“Texas will not allow illegal religious discrimination at taxpayer-funded facilities.”
DFW said Friday it had been evaluating a proposal to add ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, its international terminal, but accelerated that review in response to increased public attention.
“DFW was in the process of evaluating an internal proposal to add a set of ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, the international terminal. Like all proposed projects, the airport ultimately considers the operational benefits, customer service impacts, operational risks and costs before approving them,” the airport said in its statement.
“While that evaluation was planned, the airport accelerated its review due to elevated public interest this week and has determined not to proceed with the project as it would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits.”
The project was registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on July 31. The filing initially listed the project as privately funded, estimated its cost at $300,000 and indicated construction would be completed by the end of the year.
DFW previously said those details resulted from administrative errors by the airport’s outside design firm and stressed that the project had not received final approval.
“While the estimate noted was $300,000, that was a preliminary high estimate, and we expect the project, if it were approved to proceed, would cost closer to $120,000,” a spokesperson for DFW previously said.
The airport said the design firm also mistakenly selected “privately funded” when submitting the regulatory filing.
“That was an error, and it should have indicated that airport funds would be used to pay for the work like all our projects,” DFW said.
The airport said it does not use taxpayer dollars for airport operations and instead relies on revenue streams, including parking and concessions.
Abbott’s office said Friday that George Bush Intercontinental Airport already has an ablution station and an adjoining prayer room.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Abbott asked the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration to review religious facilities and accommodations at both airports.
“These ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal,” Abbott said.
“Both airports are government-owned facilities. The federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination. Just as the government cannot favor the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favor one religious view over all others.”
Abbott’s office said recipients of state grants must certify compliance with laws prohibiting discrimination.
Similar low-level basins and interfaith spaces exist at other major U.S. Airports, including Chicago O’Hare, Fox News Digital previously reported.
In the viral moment that sparked Abbott’s intervention, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing surfaced publicly this week, drawing sharp criticism from conservative commentators and social media users who framed the proposed DFW installation as inappropriate government endorsement of Islam. The July 31 filing’s erroneous “privately funded” designation fueled additional scrutiny, with critics questioning whether public money would ultimately support religious practice. DFW’s rapid reversal Friday came just hours after Abbott’s public statements and regulatory threats, marking one of the fastest abandonments of a major airport infrastructure proposal in recent Texas history.
Abbott’s letter to Duffy represents an escalation in his longstanding pattern of challenging accommodations for Muslim Texans, following his controversial designation earlier this year of the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a terrorist organization and his administration’s efforts to block Muslim groups from accessing public facilities.