The busiest airport in the U.S. has reportedly lost millions in federal funding because it will not abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
According to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has forfeited about $37.5 million in FAA grants and could lose more because it refused to sign new grant language introduced by the Trump administration requiring recipients to disavow DEI programs.
The newspaper obtained correspondence between airport officials and the FAA on the matter, and an FAA official confirmed the $37.5 million figure.
The money was supposed to go to improvement projects at Hartsfield-Jackson, including renovations of terminal bathrooms, taxiway pavement replacement, and efforts to increase safety and sustainability.
The airport did receive $10.6 million from the FAA for airfield work earlier this year. It is not clear if this money was disbursed before or after the federal anti-DEI provisions came into effect.
Over $19 million could be made available to the airport in 2026 if it agrees to sign the grant language.
Looking At ‘Options’
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that his team was considering changes to minority inclusion and contracting programs at the airport. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office later said the city is confident it can find “alternative funding” to support the projects.
“Federal funding for the airport, while important, represents less than 10%, approximately $1 billion over the next six years, of the airport’s total capital program over the same period,” the spokesperson said. Atlanta is “currently evaluating all options to ensure alignment with our long-held values, local policy, and federal law and we are confident that the airport will be well positioned to receive federal funds in the future.”
Eliminating DEI programs is a major priority for the Trump administration. Through executive orders, the White House has banned DEI in federal agencies, terminated DEI-related grants, and obligated contractors and grantees to certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI.
Some cities, including New York and Boston, have challenged those orders in court.
According to WAGA-TV, Atlanta officials attempted to have the anti-DEI provisions removed from the FAA’s grant language, but were unsuccessful. The FAA gave Hartsfield-Jackson until Aug. 1 to agree to its terms, and the airport’s leaders refused, the station reported.
The FAA has not said if any other U.S. airports have lost funding for a similar reason.
