Rural Texas counties that are inland and politically conservative have received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid that Congress set aside for populated coastal communities that are often underserved. Federal lawmakers had never set aside billions of dollars just to help Texas communities hit hardest by Hurricane Harvey prevent another disaster. But a federal investigation revealed that not only did communities in need get nothing initially, the plan that Texas used to distribute the money was discriminatory.  Some of those dollars, for instance, were going to build a road between a Home Depot and a Wal-Mart in a community hundreds of miles from the Gulf Coast rather than to install better drainage in Houston. So, the Jasons called up David Wheaton, the Advocacy Director at Texas Housers. His organization sounded the alarm and filed the complaint that launched the federal investigation. And they’re now trying to claw back cash owed to some of the least privileged neighborhoods in Houston and surrounding coastal areas.

Guest

David Wheaton, Texas Housers Advocacy Director

www.texashousers.org