'Make travel family friendly again': Trump admin launches $1B effort to improve airport experience

The Trump administration’s Departments of Transportation and Health and Human Services are teaming up to launch a new effort to “make travel family friendly again” by providing more family-friendly resources and healthier food options at America’s airports.

On Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference at Reagan National Airport to announce a new family-friendly travel campaign that will allocate $1 billion in grant funding to airports to improve the travel experience.

‘I can tell you that this is where healthy diets go to die.’

Duffy provided a few examples of how the funds could be used, such as play areas for children, nursing pods for breastfeeding mothers, workout spaces, and separate security lanes for families. He noted that the funds could be used for a range of investments and that the department was open to other improvement suggestions.

“It’s pretty wide open on what airports want to ask for a grant,” Duffy stated.

He stated that he has also reached out to the airlines to encourage them to consider how they could improve the travel experience.

As part of the new campaign, Duffy and Kennedy are advocating for healthy food options at the nation’s airports.

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Sean Duffy. Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images

“I … typically over the past 30 years, probably average 250 days a year in airports. And I can tell you that this is where healthy diets go to die,” Kennedy said. “It’s deep-fried food; it’s sugar bombs; it’s ultra-processed foods. And all of them are gonna leave you sicker than before you ate them.”

During Monday’s press conference, Duffy and Kennedy highlighted Farmer’s Fridge, a company that operates vending machines offering salads, sandwiches, bowls, and oats. Luke Saunders, the CEO of Farmer’s Fridge, who also attended the press conference, explained that he founded the company 12 years ago and that it now operates vending machines in over 30 U.S. airports.

“If you want to reach out to your airport authority and encourage them to participate in this money, please do that,” Duffy said.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Duffy noted that last week the department hired an integrator who will help convert the nation’s air travel technology from analog to digital.

In November, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the Transportation Security Administration would roll out new security screening lanes at select airports for families with small children, as well as for veterans and active-duty military.