Milwaukee Mitchell Awarded $14.4 Million Federal Grant
Trump administration celebrates grants from Biden-era program.
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Photo by Graham Kilmer.
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport a $14.4 million grant for rehabilitation and conversion of a handful of runways and taxiways.
The funds will be used to rehabilitate two taxiways and one runway. A second runway will be converted to a taxiway. The projects have already been designed, but construction has not started. The work will focus on infrastructure primarily used by the Wisconsin Air National Guard.
Once construction begins, it’s anticipated the projects will not disrupt air service in and out of the airport, Tajma Hall, marketing and public relations coordinator for the airport, told Urban Milwaukee.
The award was announced Thursday as part of $481 million in spending on airport infrastructure nationwide. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy celebrated the grant awards, saying, “Upgrading our runway infrastructure is part of our work to usher in the Golden Age of Transportation.”
President Donald Trump‘s administration, Duffy included, has often promised to usher in a new “Golden Age” for the country. Last year, Duffy launched an initiative intended to bring about the “Golden Age of Travel.” The new epoch would begin once everyone started behaving themselves, or at least started dressing up, while flying, according to the official USDOT campaign, which declared, “The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You.”
The runway and taxiway projects in Milwaukee will be funded through the Airport Infrastructure Grant program. The federal formula program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The legislation, signed into law in 2021, was a signature part of former President Joe Biden‘s domestic focus on infrastructure spending, climate action and economic development alongside the Inflation Reduction Act.
Shortly after taking office, Trump attempted to rescind or cancel aspects of the bill through executive order. Duffy ordered a freeze on all IIJA-funded transportation projects across the country, pending their review for climate or racial equity considerations, which the administration sought to eliminate.
Milwaukee County, and by extension Milwaukee Mitchell, joined a lawsuit against the administration in 2025, alleging that the federal government was attempting to use federal funding and grants to force local governments to align with the president’s political agenda and that it could delay crucial infrastructure projects.
In a declaration, Airport Director Brian Dranzik noted the federal grant programs are critical to maintaining the infrastructure for safe and efficient airport operations, like runways and taxiways.
In Wednesday’s grant announcement, Duffy said, “From our regional hubs to some of America’s busiest airports, we are investing in critical infrastructure that will provide American families with a more seamless, efficient travel experience for years to come.”
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