DALLAS — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport canceled plans to install an ablution facility commonly used for Islamic prayer after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to review state and federal funding for airports in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston.
Abbott said Friday that his office was reviewing grant funding connected to ablution facilities at DFW and Houston airports. He also asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to refer the airports for federal investigations.
Ablution facilities allow Muslims to perform wudu, a ritual washing of the hands and feet before prayer.
“These ablution facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. That is illegal,” Abbott said in a statement announcing the funding reviews.
DFW officials later said the airport had canceled plans for the facility after determining that it “would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits.”
The airport said it evaluates proposed projects based on operational benefits, customer service impacts, operational risks and costs.
DFW had told KERA that it already had an ablution station installed in 2019. The airport’s latest statement did not indicate whether the existing facility would be affected.
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport has operated an ablution room since 2024. Airport officials have described the facility as available to people of all faiths.
Abbott’s letters came a day after state Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, asked DFW officials about the planned facility, including how a private donation was accepted and who provided it.
DFW later said a design firm had made an administrative error on a permit application by identifying the project as privately funded. The airport said it planned to pay for the facility with revenue from parking and concessions before canceling the project.
Abbott said funding for the airports could be revoked if the facilities continued to operate.
The governor’s action adds to a broader debate in Texas over religious accommodations at government-owned facilities and follows other instances in which Abbott has threatened to withhold public funding to influence local government decisions.