Washington State’s new homeownership program puts taxpayers on the hook for $150,000 loans based solely on skin color, leaving White Americans to foot the bill for historical grievances they never committed.
Washington State’s newly expanded Covenant Homeownership Program, signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson, is offering zero-interest loans up to $150,000 to prospective homebuyers – but only if they’re the right color. Launched on July 1, 2024, this program explicitly targets non-white applicants while excluding whites regardless of their economic circumstances. The initiative provides substantial down payment assistance through loans that may become completely forgivable after five years for certain income brackets. While proponents frame this as addressing historical discrimination, critics argue it creates new discrimination by implementing a government-sponsored racial preference system that likely violates constitutional equal protection principles.
Racial Engineering Disguised as Housing Policy
In what must be one of the most blatant examples of government-sanctioned racial discrimination in recent memory, Washington State has decided that skin color, not income or need, should determine who gets taxpayer assistance with buying a home. The program targets individuals who supposedly faced discrimination before the 1968 Fair Housing Act – meaning people who weren’t even born yet can qualify based solely on their racial background. To be eligible, applicants must have household incomes below certain thresholds, be first-time homebuyers, and – here’s the kicker – belong to specific racial groups: Black, Hispanic, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Korean, or Asian American.
Curiously, the program blatantly excludes other historically discriminated-against groups, such as Jews. The Washington Housing Finance Commission offered a weak explanation for this exclusion that reeks of arbitrary line-drawing and political convenience. White applicants need not apply at all, regardless of their family history or economic circumstances. This isn’t equity – it’s revenge politics dressed up as social justice, paid for with your tax dollars.
Ballooning Benefits and Limited Impact
The expanded program doesn’t just discriminate – it’s also designed to create increasing entitlements. Recent changes raised income eligibility from 100% to 120% of the area median income and added a complete loan forgiveness option after five years for households earning 80% or less of AMI. That’s right – up to $150,000 in free money if you have the government-approved skin tone. These zero-interest loans are funded by a $100 fee slapped onto recorded real estate documents, creating a wealth transfer mechanism from all property owners to racially-selected beneficiaries.
“The Covenant program’s initial eligibility criteria are intentionally narrowly tailored. While many racial, ethnic and religious groups in Washington were subject to unjust and egregious housing discrimination, the Covenant program considers not only this history but also its current impacts. Some of the groups discriminated against continue to show much lower homeownership rates compared with the general white population. These are named in the initial eligibility criteria. However, for other groups (such as Jewish residents), the data is limited when it comes to documenting the lasting impacts of historical discrimination.”
Despite the lofty rhetoric, the program can only fund approximately 130 down payment loans due to limited funding. While proponents tout helping “over 200 families,” this represents a microscopic portion of Washington’s housing market. It’s a high-cost virtue signal that creates racial division while barely moving the needle on actual homeownership rates. Meanwhile, all Washington homebuyers face a real estate market made more expensive by the same progressive policies that created the housing shortage in the first place.
The Slippery Slope to California-Style Madness
Washington isn’t alone in this race-based policy adventure. California is exploring similar housing assistance programs, with pending legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to apply for their “California Dream for All” program. That’s right – first they prioritize by race, then they extend benefits to people who shouldn’t even be in the country. The California program offers up to 20% of a home’s value or $150,000 in down payment assistance. Your tax dollars at work, funding homes for people who jumped the border while legal residents of all races struggle to afford housing.
“Expanding this program is a step toward closing the homeownership gap between Black and white households in our state,” said Rep. Taylor. “It’s not the only solution to the systemic inequities caused by centuries of discrimination, but it is meaningful progress.”
The twisted logic behind these programs reveals the progressive mindset: rather than create policies that help all struggling Americans afford homes, they’ve crafted a system that rewards racial categories and punishes others for historical actions they had nothing to do with. It sets up a government-sponsored caste system where your access to benefits depends on immutable characteristics rather than your actual circumstances or needs. This isn’t just bad policy – it’s fundamentally un-American and likely unconstitutional.
Constitutional Questions and Legal Challenges Ahead
The Supreme Court has consistently ruled against race-based government programs, most recently in the Harvard and UNC affirmative action cases. Washington’s program appears to violate these same principles by explicitly favoring certain racial groups over others in the distribution of government benefits. The program’s defenders justify this discrimination by pointing to historical wrongs, but the Court has rejected this reasoning when it comes to creating new racial preferences that disadvantage people who weren’t responsible for historical discrimination.
The ultimate irony is that programs like this are championed by the same progressives who lecture everyone else about equity and fairness. There’s nothing equitable about a government program that judges citizens based on their skin color rather than their character, circumstances, or needs. This isn’t healing racial divisions – it’s institutionalizing and deepening them. Washington residents should demand equal treatment under the law, not a return to racial preferences and government-sanctioned discrimination, regardless of which groups it claims to benefit.
