The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rejected Asheville, North Carolina’s Hurricane Helene recovery plan after city officials attempted to prioritize funding based on race and gender.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner made it clear that while the administration is eager to assist North Carolinians affected by the hurricane, it will not tolerate discriminatory funding practices disguised as DEI initiatives.
“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,” 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.”
HUD Rejects Asheville’s DEI Mandates
The rejected 2025 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Action Plan had proposed spending $225 million in federal funds on economic recovery, infrastructure, and housing. The largest portion—$130 million—was allocated to infrastructure repairs.
However, HUD took issue with a provision on page 76 of the plan, which stated that Asheville would prioritize financial assistance for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWBE) within the Small Business Support Program.
This attempt to inject racial and gender preferences into disaster relief directly conflicted with President Trump’s January executive order banning DEI policies across all federal agencies.
“DEI is dead at HUD. Looking into this,” Turner posted on X last Wednesday, just days before officially blocking Asheville’s recovery plan.
Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina, leaving an estimated $59.6 billion in damages, according to the state’s Office of State Budget and Management.
Western North Carolina—particularly Asheville—was among the hardest-hit areas, with mudslides, flooding, and infrastructure destruction that left dozens dead and countless others displaced.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Asheville’s leadership attempted to politicize disaster relief, prioritizing woke DEI policies over merit-based recovery efforts.
Fortunately, the Trump administration has stepped in to restore fairness and ensure that relief efforts help all Americans in need—not just a favored few.
“Once again, let me be clear—DEI is dead at HUD. We will not provide funding to any program or grantee that does not comply with President Trump’s executive orders,” Turner reiterated.
Thank you, President Trump for helping to wake up our country about the woke insanity. May it DIE for good.
Thank you HUD Secretary Turner as well for standing up for the law as it stands. DEI is no longer valid or acceptable according to the U.S. Supreme Court. It seems that the officials of Asheville, who deliberately tried to thwart the laws need to be punished severely. They should be charged in Federal Court for blatant discrimination. Fines in the area of $50,000 should get their attention !!!!
Victor Hooray