They Were Promised New Septic Tanks. Trump Called It 'Illegal DEI.'

[lostnfound]

11. Wow, Guardian beats NYT again. Clear-eyed unmanaged moral heart behind that writing.

Both articles have their merits. The NYT article has this sentence:

Some leaders fear the Supreme Court’s recent blow to the Voting Rights Act may further diminish political support for the majority-Black region.
“We cannot return to a time when the basic needs of these communities were ignored,” said Representative Terri Sewell, who represents the region in Congress and had championed the 2023 federal agreement.“

The Guardian article includes this interesting information:

Trump’s 2026 budget, signed into law last week, will also have devastating impact on the Black belt communities, where 28% rely on Medicaid, compared with 23% statewide. Hunger rates are also likely to rise given that one in four Alabamians receive Snap benefits, which Trump’s new budget also slashes. The state will have to come up with an additional $120m – a 30% increase – to continue providing food assistance for more than 700,000 people, half of whom are children.
Trump won Alabama with 65% of the votes in 2024, but 68% of Lowndes county voted for Kamala Harris.
Alabama’s Black belt counties are among the poorest in the US, and in Lowndes county the median income is just $35,000 a year – 57% below the national average, according to the US census. Installing a new septic system is beyond the means of most of those who desperately need one.
The heavy, nonabsorbent clay soil synonymous with the region makes it extremely difficult to install and operate conventional septic tanks, which cost between $10,000 and $15,000, instead requiring custom-engineered systems that can be as expensive as $50,000.