Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Statement on HUD Findings of Intentional Discrimination by Texas General Land Office

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) findings that the Texas General Land Office (GLO) intentionally discriminated against communities of color in Houston and Harris County in distributing aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey:

"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has confirmed what so many of us in Texas have been saying for years: the Texas General Land Office intentionally discriminated against Black and Brown communities when distributing flood mitigation funding after Hurricane Harvey. This was a deliberate choice to leave more than 600,000 minority Texans behind-putting their homes, their families, and their futures at greater risk. It's shameful and infuriating.

"The Texas General Land Office knowingly designed a process that sent funds to wealthier areas while ignoring the neighborhoods hit hardest by the flooding. Communities of color have been forced to live with the consequences of the state's discriminatory actions, enduring repeated flooding, health risks, and the heartbreak of rebuilding again and again.

"I stand with these families, and I share their outrage. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice must immediately hold the state accountable and make this right. Governor Abbott must stop denying these communities what they are due and deliver the flood protections and resources that should have been prioritized from the beginning.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure the state answers for this injustice and our communities get the support they need."

The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a supplemental finding of noncompliance against the Texas General Land Office this week stating that its distribution of flood mitigation funds after Hurricane Harvey "intentionally discriminated" against Black and Hispanic residents. HUD referred the complaint to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice under the Fair Housing Act and called for immediate action to address the harm caused to impacted communities. The latest action from HUD follows the agency's previous finding of discrimination in 2022 against GLO.

Congresswoman Garcia has been a fierce advocate in ensuring that her constituents impacted by Hurricane Harvey receive the resources they deserve. She has worked tirelessly alongside her colleagues in the Texas delegation to demand accountability from state and federal agencies and prioritize the needs of families who have been repeatedly ignored.

Read the supplemental letter of findings from the Department of Housing and Urban Development HERE.

Read the Department of Housing and Urban Development's referral letter to the Department of Justice HERE.