❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Texas GOP official has suspended a program that prioritized non-white male businesses in state contracting.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock and Governor Greg Abbott (R).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Texas, this week.

💬KEY QUOTE: “In Texas, we don’t want to discriminate against anybody, and what this program does is literally discriminate against those that are white.” – Kelly Hancock

🎯IMPACT: The suspension halts new certifications for businesses under the program, challenging race-based preferences in state contracts.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock has halted new and renewed certifications under the state’s Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program, citing concerns that the initiative may discriminate on the basis of race. Established in 1991, the HUB program was designed to give businesses owned by black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Native Americans, service-disabled veterans, or women an advantage in competing for state contracts.

“In Texas, we don’t want to discriminate against anybody, and what this program does is literally discriminate against those that are white,” Hancock said. He said the suspension would allow his office to review whether the program aligns with constitutional requirements and the principles of equal treatment under the law.

Under the HUB program, nearly 300 state agencies were required to make a “good faith” effort to include certified businesses in procurement opportunities, including construction, commodities, and service contracts. As of 2025, more than 21 percent of certified firms were involved in state contracts, receiving over $4 billion in awards. Hancock said he supports fair competition but questioned the criteria used to determine eligibility. “How do we audit that somebody was economically discriminated against? How do we verify the information of somebody being economically discriminated against? It’s got to be more than just skin color,” he said. He added that contracts should be awarded “on merit rather than race or ethnicity.”

The move follows an executive order issued by Governor Greg Abbott (R) earlier this year prohibiting race- and sex-based preferences in the distribution of government benefits or opportunities. Abbott said the order was necessary to ensure equality in state hiring and contracting practices. Hancock echoed those sentiments, stating that “Texans deserve a level playing field where government contracts are earned by performance and best value—nothing more, nothing less.”

The suspension has sparked debate over the future of programs designed to support minority- and women-owned businesses. Supporters of the HUB initiative argue that it helps address historical disparities in access to public contracting, while critics, including Hancock, say such programs may violate anti-discrimination laws by excluding white-owned firms.

The issue comes amid a growing national conversation about what some describe as anti-white discrimination in institutions and government. Recent reports have highlighted several high-profile investigations and actions related to such claims, including allegations that the Harvard Law Review engaged in witness intimidation during an anti-white discrimination probe, a move by President Donald J. Trump to withdraw federal contracts from Harvard University over alleged anti-white and anti-Semitic behavior, and a Department of Justice investigation into the Chicago mayor for remarks suggesting anti-white hiring practices.

Image via World Travel and Tourism Council.

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