The dispute over how Texas handled $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey relief funds earmarked for those hit hardest by the storm has escalated. A recent probe by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has led to allegations of racial discrimination against the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and its former Commissioner George P. Bush. According to The Texas Tribune, HUD's investigation backed by additional research points to the GLO's preference for supporting predominantly white, rural communities over urban communities of color, particularly those more vulnerable to flooding.
HUD's findings were supported by local leaders, including former Houston Mayor and current Congressman Sylvester Turner, who, along with Congressman Al Green, addressed the agency's concerning report. "For too long, equitable access to recovery resources has been wittingly or unwittingly withheld from communities of color, leaving these communities struggling to recover," Green said, emphasizing the urgency of Justice Department involvement, as quoted by KHOU. The situation is compounded by a directive from the Trump administration, which stalls the Civil Rights Division from pursuing new legal actions, leaving Houstonians potentially without recourse.
The Houston Chronicle uncovered the uneven allocation of aid, finding that the distribution process sidelined coastal areas with higher damage and risk, contrary to claims from the GLO. In the fallout, under then-Commissioner George P. Bush, a second funding competition was nixed, and plans to allocate $750 million directly to Harris County were made. Notwithstanding, discontent surged, prompting HUD's investigation and a subsequent Texas Tribune report revealing the continuance of questionable aid routing in a second funding allocation.
As this controversy garners attention, the GLO, headed by Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, dismissed HUD's referral to the Justice Department as a political maneuver by the Biden administration. Contradicting HUD's findings, Buckingham declared, "No other state has performed as efficiently and effectively as Texas in providing disaster recovery and mitigation funding to communities and residents," as quoted by The Texas Tribune. This defense reflects previous rejections by the Justice Department, which pointed to a lack of substance in similar HUD claims.
Amidst these claims and counterclaims, the Texas community groups Texas Housers and Northeast Action Collective have lauded HUD's stance, calling for the Justice Department to enforce compliance with federal discrimination laws. Their hopes now rest on whether the Justice Department, facing a hand-over to a Trump administration seen as less sympathetic to such causes, will take decisive action. Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo have yet to provide their comments on this developing issue.
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