The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has concluded there was “no reasonable cause” to believe Texas officials discriminated based on race or national origin when distributing $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey disaster aid.
In a letter closing its civil rights investigation, HUD said earlier findings that the Texas General Land Office, or GLO, unfairly favored rural white communities were “fatally flawed — legally and factually.” The letter stated that after reviewing more than 80,000 pages of documents, investigators found no evidence the GLO acted with discriminatory intent.
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The investigation spanned five years and two presidential administrations and examined the GLO’s actions under then-Commissioner George P. Bush. During that time, housing advocates and local officials accused the agency of politicizing disaster funds, citing earlier federal conclusions that Texas discriminated against residents of color when allocating Harvey relief funds.
Current Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham welcomed HUD’s Wednesday decision, calling the allegations “baseless” and “politically motivated.”
“A simple fact remains uncontested — more than a million minorities — two thirds of the total population — benefited from this funding,” Buckingham said in a press release. “100% are low-to-moderate income — surpassing the metrics required by HUD.”
The dispute traces back to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which dumped more than 50 inches of rain on parts of the Houston area, flooded thousands of homes, and killed more than 80 people.
Texas later received about $4.3 billion in federal disaster recovery aid.
In 2021, the GLO distributed $1 billion through a competitive grant process for local governments. Houston and Harris County, despite suffering the most deaths and property damage, received none of that money.
An investigation by the Houston Chronicle found the money disproportionately went to inland counties with less storm damage and lower disaster risk.
Amid bipartisan criticism from Houston politicians, Bush canceled a planned second competition and proposed awarding $750 million directly to Harris County. HUD launched its own investigation in June 2021 and in 2022 concluded the state had unfairly allocated funds.
The land office revised its plan to distribute a second round of money totaling $1.2 billion. But a Texas Tribune investigation found that, too, routed aid disproportionately to more white, inland counties at less risk of natural disasters.
In early 2025, under the Biden administration, HUD reaffirmed its 2022 conclusion and referred the case to the U.S. Department of Justice, citing the GLO’s “sustained unwillingness” to correct what HUD said violated the Fair Housing Act. Buckingham at the time dismissed the referral as politically driven.
HUD’s latest determination reverses those earlier findings and formally closes the case.
Disclosure: The Texas General Land Office has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.