HUD rejects Asheville's Helene recovery plan because of its DEI targets [View all]
Source: The Hill
03/11/25 5:48 PM ET
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rejected Hurricane Helene repair efforts in Asheville, N.C., because the city’s proposed recovery plan features a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program that conflicts with President Trump’s January executive order.
“HUD looks forward to helping thousands of North Carolinians rebuild after Hurricane Helene by directing funding assistance to impacted businesses, non-profit organizations and neighborhoods,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement on Monday. “However, Asheville’s draft action plan incorporated DEI criteria to prioritize some impacted residents over others, which was unacceptable,” he added. “After HUD informed Asheville that its plan was unsatisfactory and it would not be approved, the city assured us that it was updating its draft action plan to be compliant.”
Asheville rolled out a draft 2025 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery action plan last Tuesday, with the HUD allocating $225 million. The 125-page plan said the funds would be spent on economic recovery, infrastructure and housing. The biggest portion of it, $130 million, would be spent on infrastructure.
The HUD slammed one portion of the plan, on page 76, where it said, “Within the Small Business Support Program, the City will prioritize assistance for Minority and Women Owned Businesses (MWBE) within the scoring criteria outlined within the policies and procedures.” “DEI is dead at HUD. Looking into this,” Turner wrote Wednesday last week on the social platform X, less than a week before officially rejecting Asheville’s recovery efforts.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5189499-hud-hurricane-helene-asheville-north-carolina-relief/
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