By Jill McLaughlin

The Trump administration is ready to spend $1 billion to create healthier food options, private breastfeeding pods, and exercise spaces for airport travelers with a new family-friendly travel campaign, officials announced Monday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has set aside $1 billion in funding for grant programs to make airport experiences better and healthier, Secretary Sean Duffy announced.

Duffy was joined by the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy and social media health influencer and physician Dr. Paul Saladino, who is known for promoting animal-based diets and nutrition.

Airports don’t have many healthy options for the 3 million Americans who pass through them every day, according to Kennedy.

“It’s not been a healthy experience for them,” Kennedy said, adding that airports are “where healthy diets go to die.”

“The food that’s available in the airport, a lot of it tastes very good, but it’s not very good for you,” Kennedy said. “It’s deep-fried food. It’s sugar bombs. It’s ultra-processed foods. And all of them are going to leave you sicker than before you ate them.”

The officials held a press conference Monday in front of Farmer’s Fridge, an automated vending machine offering fresh, healthy meals in Terminal B at the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Purchases can be made using a mobile phone app.

Kennedy also said airports lack nursing spaces, nursing pods, and nursing rooms.

The HHS is encouraging mothers to breastfeed babies as long as possible, according to Kennedy.

“There is no better food for your brain, for your gut microbiome, for your physical growth, for your emotional growth, than what’s in God-given breast milk,” Kennedy added.

Saladino also stressed the importance of adding exercise options for travelers.

“What we know very clearly is that when we are sedentary, this is bad for us as humans,” Saladino said. “Every one single hour of sitting in inactivity can create vascular dysfunction within our bodies.”

Influencer Dr. Paul Saladino watches Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy do pull-ups after a press conference discussing the launch of the “Make Travel Family Friendly Again” campaign at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 8, 2025. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

The campaign aims to spend more money on improving spaces for nursing mothers, along with more kid-friendly areas for children to exercise and play, and sensory rooms for children with special needs.

Sitting for hours can increase inflammation and cause other health problems, Saladino added. He suggested airports can create small spaces for travelers to get mini workouts, including treadmills, pull-up bars, and other exercises.

“We can put yoga mats and maybe some rolling pins for people to move their muscles,” Saladino said. “Anything to get people moving, maybe some exercise bikes. These would be a massive step in the right direction and it’s such a huge thing that we could do for Americans.”

The family-friendly airports campaign is the second major project announced by the Transportation Department. Duffy also unveiled a civility campaign last month, asking travelers to dress more respectfully and use kindness at airports, which sparked a variety of comments during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.