(I've been to Asheville several times and it is a fart-sniffer's paradise.)

From: https://tinyurl.com/8u9j939y (thegatewaypundit.com)

===
  HUD Secretary Scott Turner Rejects Asheville's $225M Disaster Relief Request
                       After Shocking DEI Clause Exposed

   by Jim Hoft Mar. 12, 2025 1:05 pm

   Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner has decisively
   rejected Asheville, North Carolina's outrageous $225 million disaster
   relief request.

   The reason? A jaw-dropping Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) clause
   buried deep in the city's draft action plan-a clause that prioritizes woke
   ideology over the urgent needs of everyday Americans still reeling from
   Hurricane Helene's devastation six months ago.

   In an interview with Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo, Secretary Turner
   condemned the city's initial draft action plan for prioritizing assistance
   based on race and gender identity rather than need.

   "This draft action plan that the city of Asheville presented at first has
   elements of DEI, and that is not acceptable to HUD," Turner told
   Bartiromo.

   "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."

   "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... pic.twitter.com/Bd2rfgEMgS

     - Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) March 11, 2025

   Asheville's request explicitly included plans to prioritize Minority and
   Women-Owned Businesses (MWBE) within its Small Business Support Program.

   The draft proposal states, "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."

   "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," Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement.

   "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," he added.

   The Trump administration won't let radical ideology derail the recovery of
   America's heartland. Secretary Turner's stand is a beacon of hope for a
   nation desperate to move past the divisive policies of the past and focus
   on what really matters.

   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 an end to manipulated standards in the name of
   discriminatory "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) initiatives."
===

-- Sean

... Everyone's an atheist until it's time for a BIOS update.
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 * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)