Written by Nathan Phillips.

A North Carolina city battered by Hurricane Helene last year learned a harsh lesson this week: the Trump administration won’t tolerate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in federal recovery plans. Asheville, a hard-hit community, secured $225 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to rebuild, but its initial blueprint ran afoul of new priorities set by HUD Secretary Scott Turner.

HUD’s Rejection of Asheville’s Plan

The trouble started with Asheville’s draft for spending its Community Development Block Grant funds. According to the city’s proposal, small business aid would favor minority- and women-owned enterprises through specific scoring criteria. Turner, in a statement on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, didn’t mince words. “HUD is eager to assist North Carolinians in recovering from Helene by channeling funds to businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhoods,” he said. “But Asheville’s inclusion of DEI to prioritize certain residents over others was unacceptable.”

He went on to explain that HUD had rejected the plan outright, prompting the city to revise it. Turner’s stance was firm: any hint of DEI violates Trump’s executive orders, and funding hinges on compliance. Asheville quickly reworked its approach, stripping out the offending language. Mayor Esther Manheimer confirmed to local media that the updated version satisfied HUD’s demands, ensuring the $225 million stays in play.

This isn’t abstract policy—it’s real money for a real crisis. Helene tore through Western North Carolina in 2024, leaving homes wrecked and businesses shuttered. Asheville, a cultural hub with a tourism-driven economy, took a brutal hit. That $225 million was meant to patch up the damage, but now it comes with strings: no favoritism based on race or gender. Turner’s message? Help’s coming, but it’s equal—or it’s nothing.

The Broader Push Against DEI

Turner’s crackdown fits a bigger pattern. Just weeks into Trump’s term, he toured Helene’s wreckage in January 2025 and blasted FEMA for dragging its feet. “I’ll overhaul it or scrap it,” he told reporters, vowing swift aid for North Carolina. HUD’s pivot under Turner echoes that urgency—$4 million in old DEI-tinged contracts got sniffed out and axed, per his Washington Examiner interview. “DEI at HUD is dead,” he declared, stressing service to all Americans, no exceptions.

Manheimer offered context in her comments to WLOS. Asheville, like many cities, has long prioritized minority- and women-owned businesses in contracting—a nod to equity that’s now a liability. “HUD didn’t want that in the plan,” she said, sounding resigned but relieved the funds weren’t lost. She added that Turner’s team remains committed to the region’s recovery, a lifeline for a city still digging out from flooded streets and busted infrastructure.

Zoom out, and the stakes grow clearer. HUD’s block grants aren’t pocket change—they’re a federal backbone for disaster relief, funneled through states and cities to rebuild lives. Helene’s toll—hundreds dead, billions in damage—left North Carolina reeling. Asheville’s slice of that aid was a chance to restart, but Turner’s intervention shows the Trump administration’s red line: no DEI, no exceptions. It’s a policy shift with teeth, and cities nationwide are taking note.

Leadership and Transition in Focus

Turner framed this as more than bureaucratic cleanup—it’s a mandate. “Seventy-seven million voted for this change,” he told the Examiner, tying HUD’s moves to Trump’s electoral win. “Transition’s tough, but it’s growth,” he added, aligning his agency with a broader White House push to reshape federal priorities. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem chimed in, too, noting FEMA—under her umbrella—had cleared 80% of Western North Carolina’s cases by early 2025, a stat meant to counter Trump’s early gripes.

The president’s visit to the storm zone set the tone. Standing amid toppled trees and ruined homes, he promised North Carolina a “good job” on recovery—words backed by executive muscle. Turner’s HUD is delivering on that, but with a twist: equality over equity. For Asheville, it meant rewriting a plan overnight. For others, it’s a warning—federal aid’s flowing, but only if you play by the new rules.

Consider the ripple effect. Small businesses in Asheville—say, a Black-owned café or a woman-run boutique—might’ve leaned on that DEI boost to get back on their feet. Now, they’re in the same pool as everyone else. Fair? Maybe. Harsh? Depends on who’s asking. Turner’s betting on a colorblind approach to win out, but in a region where recovery’s already uneven, some worry the pace could slow for those hit hardest.

Our Take

HUD’s smackdown of Asheville’s DEI plan is a power play, plain and simple. Turner’s not just pruning policy—he’s planting a flag for Trump’s vision: no special treatment, period. As a journalist who’s covered disaster fallout from coast to coast, I see the logic—federal funds should spread evenly, no favoritism clogging the works. That $225 million could rebuild a lot of lives, and fast, if the red tape’s cut. Turner’s right that voters backed this shift; 77 million isn’t a whisper, it’s a shout.

But here’s the rub: disasters don’t hit equal, and recovery’s rarely fair. Helene didn’t care who owned what—floods smashed minority neighborhoods and rural towns alike. Ditching DEI might streamline things on paper, but in practice, it risks leaving some behind. Asheville’s quick pivot saved its funding, sure, but smaller players might not dodge HUD’s axe so nimbly. Turner’s gamble assumes efficiency trumps targeted help—I’m not sold it’s that clean. This is less about fixing a broken system and more about flexing control, and North Carolina’s the test case. Time’ll tell if it holds up.