{"id":46658,"date":"2026-08-15T12:54:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T07:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46658"},"modified":"2026-08-15T12:54:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T07:54:26","slug":"texas-gov-abbott-takes-action-as-dfw-airport-rids-of-conflicting-islamic-foot-washing-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46658","title":{"rendered":"Texas Gov Abbott takes action as DFW Airport rids of conflicting Islamic foot-washing area"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2Fnewspress-collage-2rspq0x0m-1786779253361.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261786764874\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Texas <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/04\/us-news\/gov-greg-abbott-halts-new-data-centers-as-electricity-demand-skyrockets\/\">Gov.\u00a0Greg Abbott<\/a>\u00a0on Friday directed a review of state grants to entities operating two major Texas airports over religious accommodations after <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/13\/lifestyle\/dallas-fort-worth-airport-to-install-islamic-foot-wash-stations-inside-bathrooms\/\">Dallas Fort Worth International Airport<\/a> said it would no longer move forward with a proposal to install Islamic washing stations.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott said the state will review grants to entities operating DFW and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in\u00a0Houston\u00a0for possible revocation and denial of future funding.<\/p>\n<p>He also referred both airports to the US Department of Transportation for investigation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGovernment-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GregAbbott_TX\/status\/2088411718628049370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2088411718628049370%7Ctwgr%5Ed11bdbd052b5fe5b5777a4a8c2e291c02dad20ac%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdfw-airport-scraps-controversial-islamic-footwashing-station-plan-texas-gov-abbott-takes-aim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Abbott wrote on X Friday<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I\u2019ve directed a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and referred DFW &amp; IAH to USDOT for investigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTexas will not allow illegal religious discrimination at taxpayer-funded facilities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>DFW told Fox News Digital Friday it had been evaluating a proposal to add\u00a0ablution washing stations\u00a0on the pre-security side of Terminal D, its international terminal, but accelerated that review in response to increased public attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDFW 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,\u201d the airport said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Two travelers walk through an empty terminal at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Jan. 24, 2026. <span class=\"credit\">Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhile 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The project was registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation July 31. <\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at an event in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 29, 2026. <span class=\"credit\">TNS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>DFW previously said those details resulted from administrative errors by the airport\u2019s outside design firm and stressed that the project had not received final approval.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile 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,\u201d a spokesperson for DFW previously told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>The airport said the design firm also mistakenly selected \u201cprivately funded\u201d when submitting the regulatory filing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was an error, and it should have indicated that airport funds would be used to pay for the work like all our projects,\u201d DFW said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>DFW said it does not use taxpayer dollars for airport operations and instead relies on revenue streams, including parking and concessions.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott\u2019s office said Friday that <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/23\/us-news\/bush-airport-in-houston-now-1-of-3-us-entry-points-for-africa-travelers-amid-ebola-outbreak\/\">George Bush Intercontinental Airport<\/a> already has an ablution station and an adjoining prayer room.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter to Transportation Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/11\/us-news\/faa-hires-thousands-of-air-traffic-controllers-after-targeting-gamers\/\">Sean Duffy<\/a>, Abbott asked the US Department of Transportation and\u00a0Federal Aviation Administration\u00a0to review religious facilities and accommodations at both airports.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Travelers arrive at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport  <span class=\"credit\">Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThese ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal,\u201d Abbott said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth airports are government-owned facilities. The federal and\u00a0state constitutions\u00a0prohibit 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abbott\u2019s office said recipients of state grants must certify compliance with laws prohibiting discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>Similar low-level basins and interfaith spaces exist at other major US airports, including Chicago O\u2019Hare, Fox News Digital previously reported.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital has reached out to Houston Airports and the US Department of Transportation for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas Gov.\u00a0Greg Abbott\u00a0on Friday directed a review of state grants to entities operating two major Texas airports over religious accommodations after Dallas Fort Worth International Airport said it would no longer move forward with a proposal to install Islamic washing stations. Abbott said the state will review grants to entities operating DFW and George Bush&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/newspress-collage-2rspq0x0m-1786779253361.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1786764874&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}