The Trump administration is removing anti-discrimination rules that have prohibited tens of billions of dollars in federal disaster aid from being spent in ways that are unfair to racial or ethnic minorities.
Starting Monday, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer require state and local governments to avoid unintentional discrimination as they allocate federal aid to households and communities recovering from major disasters. DHS will continue to prohibit intentional discrimination.
Unintentional discrimination occurs when a seemingly harmless policy results in minority groups being treated unfairly. It has been a longstanding issue in the allocation of disaster aid, including at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Experts, advocates and community groups have said that predominantly white neighborhoods and individuals end up getting a disproportionate share of FEMA aid because of the way agency programs are designed.
The new policy, disclosed in a DHS notice Thursday, deletes regulations that civil rights advocates have used to pressure governments to account for minority communities as they rebuild in the wake of severe weather.
