In a move that resonates with every patriotic American, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner has firmly stood his ground by rejecting Asheville, North Carolina’s audacious $225 million disaster relief plea. The city’s proposed plan shockingly embedded a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) clause that prioritizes leftist ideologies over the genuine needs of hardworking citizens affected by Hurricane Helene six months ago.
Speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business, Secretary Turner was critical of Asheville’s plan, which attempted to allocate aid based on race and gender identity rather than genuine necessity. “This draft action plan that the city of Asheville presented at first has elements of DEI, and that is not acceptable to HUD,” Turner stated clearly.
He emphasized, “It’s not acceptable to the President, according to his executive order to get rid of all DEI. We’re working with the city of Asheville. They have been very responsive to make sure that their upcoming draft action plan is in compliance with HUD and how we give funds out according to HUD’s principles.”
He reassured the public, “We’re happy to be here. They’re working with us, and we’re looking forward to helping the people of Asheville recover from this disaster.”
#BREAKING: HUD Secretary, Scott Turner, has REJECTED a proposal by the City of Asheville NC for $225 million in disaster relief. It was uncovered that buried in the proposal was a clause that the city would “prioritize” DEI when distributing disaster relief funds to victims…
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol)
March 11, 2025
The city of Asheville had explicitly included strategies to elevate Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWBE) within its Small Business Support Program. According to the draft proposal, “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.”
Secretary Turner further clarified, “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. 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 confidently added, “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.”
The Trump administration remains steadfast, ensuring that radical ideologies do not obstruct recovery efforts in the heartland of America. Secretary Turner’s stance brings hope, redirecting focus to merit and genuine need, bypassing divisive policies of the past.
According to the press release, “President Trump’s Day One Executive Order to end radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing eliminated discriminatory government-funded DEI practices. President Trump put an end to manipulated standards in the name of discriminatory ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) initiatives.”
