Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to revoke state grant funding from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport over ablution facilities used for Islamic ritual washing, according to letters released by the governor’s office. On Monday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire pushed back in defense of the existing stations at Bush, while DFW has canceled plans to add more.
Abbott announced Friday that his office is reviewing all state grants to the airports for possible revocation and denial of future funding. He also referred both facilities to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. In a statement and letters to airport and city leaders, Abbott said the ablution stations — used for the Muslim practice of wudu, or washing before prayer — amount to illegal religious discrimination at government-owned airports because similar standalone facilities are not provided for other faiths.
“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.”
Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 14, 2026
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… pic.twitter.com/XY58WAKJ8N
DFW, which has had ablution stations in its Terminal D interfaith chapel since 2019, was evaluating an internal proposal to add stations to restrooms on the pre-security side of the same terminal. A spokesperson for the airport said the proposal was accelerated amid elevated public interest and then dropped because it “would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits.”
Houston has taken a different approach. Bush Intercontinental has operated an ablution room connected to an interfaith prayer space in Terminal D since 2024. In a statement Monday, Whitmire said the facilities serve a practical need, are open to all travelers regardless of faith, and were paid for with fees charged to international airlines rather than city or state tax dollars.
“The ablution room and adjoining prayer room are open to all travelers, employees and stakeholders with access to Terminal D, regardless of faith,” Whitmire said. “Nobody receives preferential access, and nobody is excluded.”
He noted that about one-fifth of passengers in the international terminal fly airlines serving Muslim-majority countries and that dedicated stations are preferable to travelers using regular sinks.
The contrasting responses highlight a split between the two major Texas airports: Houston is standing by its existing accommodations, while DFW has stepped back from expansion.
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