By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | September 28, 2025

ATLANTA — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has forfeited more than $37 million in federal funding after refusing to disavow diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, a condition imposed by the Trump administration through a January executive order.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta lost $37.5 million from a $57 million allocation for infrastructure upgrades, including taxiway pavement replacement, restroom renovations, and sustainability projects aimed at lowering emissions. About $19 million of that total may still be available in the next federal budget cycle if the city agrees to new grant language, the AJC reported.

At the center of the dispute is Executive Order 14151, signed by President Donald Trump in January, directing agencies to terminate DEI offices, equity-related action plans, and environmental justice initiatives, and requiring federal grantees to certify that they do not operate such programs.

Atlanta leaders declined to sign the FAA’s new conditions by a July 29 deadline, according to AJC reporting, citing the city’s longstanding commitment to minority and women-owned business participation at the airport. That program, requiring that 25% of airport business go to minority-owned firms and 10% to women-owned firms, was pioneered by former Mayor Maynard Jackson during a $400 million expansion in the 1970s.

“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,” Michael Smith, a spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens, said in a City of Atlanta statement. “We are confident that the airport will be able to pursue alternative funding to advance these projects without impacting customers or airport service providers.”

The lost FAA money comes as the airport manages nearly $1 billion in ongoing construction. According to a City of Atlanta financial report for fiscal 2024, Hartsfield-Jackson generated $989 million in revenue against $845 million in expenses, supported entirely by airport-generated income.

Still, federal funds remain critical for certain large-scale projects. For example, the expansion of Concourse D has leveraged $40 million in U.S. Department of Transportation grants, according to city filings.

FAA records also underscore what is at stake. In a newsroom release dated August 13, 2024, the agency announced $20.1 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Hartsfield-Jackson to rehabilitate taxiways and taxilanes. The airport has historically put such grants to work on targeted infrastructure upgrades, ensuring safety and efficiency across its vast operations. The newly lost $37.5 million is nearly double that amount.

Atlanta officials unsuccessfully lobbied the FAA to alter the new grant conditions, according to the AJC. Meanwhile, several other major cities—including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Minneapolis—have sued the Trump administration, arguing the DEI ban exceeds presidential authority and interferes with congressionally approved grant programs. A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of the new rules for those plaintiffs, but not for Atlanta.

Mayor Dickens, who faces reelection this fall, has signaled he may reconsider aspects of the city’s DEI programs to preserve access to federal funds across city departments. But by the time deliberations began, tens of millions in aviation money had already slipped away, according to FAA and AJC accounts.

The City of Atlanta emphasized in its official statement that the airport remains financially secure and committed to balancing compliance with federal law while upholding “our long-held values, local policy, and federal law.”

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