U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin brought more than talking points to Ponca City on Wednesday, Feb. 18. He arrived with word of $7.8 million in federal funding that local leaders say will anchor a long-awaited new terminal at Ponca City Regional Airport.
The 90-minute sit-down at the Standing Bear Park Museum and Education Center pulled in city officials, hospital leadership and business representatives. According to local leaders at the meeting, the money is part of the FY2026 appropriations package that the president signed earlier this month.
As reported by Oklahoma Farm Report, Mullin met with 24 local leaders, including Mayor Kelsey Wagner, City Manager Craig Stephenson, Phillips 66 plant manager Jim Baron, interim Ponca City Hospital CEO Mark Angus and Ponca City Schools Superintendent Adam Leaming. Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Shelley Arrott told the outlet the group welcomed the chance to "share local priorities and strengthen partnerships."
The conversation was not limited to planes and runways. Attendees also pressed the senator on workforce development, rural health care and how to navigate the maze of federal grants. The airport terminal money, they suggested, is one big piece in a broader economic development puzzle.
In a separate press release, Senator Markwayne Mullin highlighted that the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development portion of the FY26 spending package includes "$7.8 million- Ponca City Regional Airport for a new airport terminal." He called the terminal "a much needed upgrade to the local community infrastructure" and framed the earmark as part of his broader push to steer federal dollars back into Oklahoma communities instead of watching them vanish into the federal maw.
Where the money shows up in the budget
The Ponca City funding appears as a specific line item in the Senate Appropriations Committee report for the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill. The report lists $7.8 million under Grants-in-Aid for Airports for Ponca City Regional Airport. Congress.gov documents the committee's recommendations and shows exactly where the project lands in the stack of earmarks.
The consolidated appropriations package that carries that airport language was signed into law by the president on Feb. 3, 2026, according to the White House. In other words, the money is no longer hypothetical. It is written into statute, subject to all the usual federal strings and process requirements.
What is next for the terminal
On the federal permitting dashboard, the Ponca City terminal shows up as a live project, currently in the environmental review and permitting phase, with the Federal Aviation Administration listed as the lead agency and the city named as project sponsor. Performance.gov puts the estimated overall project cost at roughly $5.5 million and lists a point of contact for the airport.
Before any dirt gets turned, local officials will have to clear environmental reviews and line up any required matching funds. That is the less glamorous side of infrastructure work, but without it, shiny renderings stay on paper.
Federal grants for airport upgrades typically move through the FAA's Airport Improvement Program, which helps pay for planning and capital projects at airports included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. At smaller airports, AIP can cover a hefty share of eligible costs. The FAA explains how AIP and related programs prioritize safety, capacity and terminal improvements, and sets the conditions airports must accept when they take the money.
That federal process, combined with Ponca City's own planning work, will ultimately decide how and when the $7.8 million allocated in the appropriations language gets applied to terminal design, permitting and construction.
Arrott described the senator's visit as "meaningful" and said Ponca City is eager to push ahead on projects that support both economic growth and health care access, according to Oklahoma Farm Report. City officials have not yet offered a construction timeline. The federal permitting page still shows environmental review work underway, and local leaders say they plan to huddle with FAA staff to lock in next steps.
For now, Ponca City has a federal funding line, a project listing and a lot of homework. As the terminal moves from concept to design to bids, expect a steady stream of filings and announcements, and likely plenty of local debate about how to make those millions count.
