'White-owned businesses' also awarded contracts as part of JFK renovation plan | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: White-owned businesses blocked from bidding on JFK airport renovation

A May 10 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims a multi-billion-dollar New York initiative excludes a specific pool of business owners.

"New York is BLOCKING white-owned businesses from bidding on the $2.3 billion renovation of JFK Airport," reads text within the post, which was originally shared on X, formerly Twitter. "What does that sound like?"

Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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Our rating: False

Though more than $2 billion in contracts was awarded to minority and women-owned businesses, the majority of contracts were awarded to other contractors as part of the airport's overall $19 billion renovation project.

Post misrepresents JFK renovation project

The JFK International Airport's large-scale redevelopment is planned to continue through 2028, including the renovation of ground transportation, terminal layouts and amenities.

As part of the renovation plan, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that $2.3 billion in contracts had been awarded to 680 minority- and women-owned businesses. Contracts will continue to be awarded to this demographic of businesses to meet the New York and New Jersey Port Authority's goal of 30% participation in the agency’s capital projects, according to the governor's press release.

Not only does the inclusion of women-owned businesses negate the Facebook post's claim about "white-owned" businesses being blocked, but these contracts were just a fraction of the overall $19 billion renovation project, according to officials.

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"This is a misrepresentation of our recent announcement regarding contract awards," Thomas Topousis, a Port Authority spokesperson, said in an email. "Successful development efforts of this size require a huge number of prime contractors and their subcontractors."

He said that to fill this need for contractors, the Port Authority and private terminal developers reached out to the local community to attract sources of labor "which may otherwise be overlooked."

"First, these companies have all been carefully vetted and chosen through fair processes where numerous firms compete on price and service qualifications," Topousis said. "Second, it is paid for through Port Authority revenues and private funds of our terminal developers. And third, most of the awards are made by the terminal developers themselves, for their individual terminal projects, not the Port Authority."

He said that though $2.3 billion in contracts had been awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses, the majority of contracting opportunities – worth more than $5 billion so far – had gone to other contractors and subcontractors.

The governor's press release details how more than $950 million in contracts was awarded to 200 local Queens-based businesses in addition to the money awarded to businesses owned by minorities and women.

"Our effort to increase (minority- and women-owned business enterprises) participation at JFK to 30% is focused on expanding opportunities to all, not to limit them, and to increase competitiveness, not to reduce it," Topousis said.

John Lindsay, a spokesperson for the New York State Executive Office, also told USA TODAY in an email that the claim of New York blocking white-owned businesses is false.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The X user couldn't be contacted.

Lead Stories and The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'White-owned businesses' not excluded from JFK renovation | Fact check