HUD Secretary Orders N.C. City To Remove ‘DEI’ From Hurricane Recovery Plan
A city in North Carolina, heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene, has learned firsthand that the Trump administration is firm on eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Asheville, N.C., one of the hardest-hit areas from last year's hurricane, was allocated $225 million in Community Development Block Grant funds by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support recovery efforts, according to a HUD press release. However, on Tuesday, HUD Secretary Scott Turner raised concerns regarding the city's initial spending plan.
“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 stated.
“However, Asheville’s draft action plan incorporated DEI criteria to prioritize some impacted residents over others, which was unacceptable. 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,” he explained.
The original draft outlined, “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.”
Turner, however, made his stance clear: “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.”
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer told local outlet WLOS that the city had adjusted its plan to remove the DEI-related provisions.
“We have modified the action plan to reflect his concerns, and we’ve been told the changes that we’ve made were acceptable,” Manheimer told the station.
“[Asheville], like many cities, has a program around contracting with minority- and women-owned businesses,” Manheimer noted. “Apparently, the reference to that existing program is not something that they want to see in the action plan.”
She also confirmed that HUD, under Turner, remains committed to assisting Asheville in its recovery efforts.
“We’re being reassured,” Manheimer said. “They’re very eager and continue to be eager, this administration, to help support the recovery of WNC, including Asheville, and we’re very appreciative of that.”
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Turner elaborated on the administration's broader shift away from DEI.
“So 77 million people … voted for this type of change, voted for this type of transition,” he said.
“And oftentimes, you know, transition is hard. Being uncomfortable is hard. But when you’re uncomfortable, like the president stated, we’re going through this time of transition that brings growth,” he continued.
“And we are laser-focused not only at HUD, but I know the president is, for the posterity of this nation,” he added.
Turner also revealed that HUD had identified approximately $4 million in DEI-related expenditures within previous contracts.
“DEI at HUD is dead. We will serve every American no matter their color, their race, their tongue, their creed because that’s what we’re called to do,” he stated.
Shortly after taking office in January, President Trump visited the hurricane-affected areas of North Carolina and criticized FEMA for its delayed response in delivering aid to victims months after Helene.
“I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” Trump told reporters during his visit. “I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.”
He also assured North Carolina residents that his administration would expedite assistance, promising to “do a good job” in the recovery process.
Soon after, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that FEMA, which falls under DHS, had resolved 80 percent of Western North Carolina cases.