Despite claims, Jackson, Mississippi, did get funding for its infrastructure. But it’s not a fix-all

After years of decline and neglect, the water infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi, failed in August, leaving city residents scrambling for access to clean water. Fixing the problem could cost more than $1 billion.  

According to social media posts, none of the money has been forthcoming.

"$12 billion more for Ukraine on top of $100+ billion while Jackson, Mississippi has yet to receive any funding to fix their water infrastructure," said a Sept. 27 post on Instagram shared by actor D.L. Hughley. The post was a screenshot of a tweet. 

"Make it make sense … " Hughley wrote in the caption. 

The Instagram post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.) 

The post appears to refer to a bill that was under consideration at the time of the Instagram post and that passed Sept. 30. The legislation allotted $12 billion in new aid to Ukraine. But what the post does not acknowledge is that the same legislation also allocated $20 million to the city of Jackson for repairs to its water infrastructure.

It’s a small portion of the overall funding required to completely fix the problems in Jackson. And while the city might not have the money in hand yet because the legislation just passed, it’s misleading to say the city was completely ignored.  

At the time of Hughley’s post, Congress was set to consider a funding package to address multiple needs, including money for Ukraine and Jackson. That bill, H.R. 6833, passed Sept. 30 and President Joe Biden signed it the same day. 

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a press release that the $20 million allocated for Jackson would "build on the initial $5 million provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers earlier this year through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law."

"I recognize this funding will not be enough to address the long-standing water infrastructure issues in Jackson, but this is a good start," Wicker said in his release.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said during an Aug. 30 press conference that it would take $1 billion to fix the water distribution system, and billions more to fix all of the water problems. We reached out to his office but received no response. 

Featured Fact-check

Senate Majority PAC

stated on June 19, 2014 in a television ad

"Congressman (Tom) Cotton is the only Arkansan in Congress -- Democrat or Republican -- to vote against disaster relief five times."

The issue is also one of racial disparity — in Jackson, more than 80% of residents are Black. 

Jackson also stands to benefit from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but it is unclear how much the city might receive. 

An Instagram post says Ukraine got $12 billion more in funding but Jackson, Mississippi, has not received any. 

At the time the Instagram post was shared, Congress was considering legislation to provide money to both Ukraine and Jackson. The legislation passed Sept. 30 and was signed into law the same day, allocating $20 million to Jackson for its infrastructure. 

Much more funding will be needed to fully address the city’s problems. But though the city might not have the money in hand yet because the funding was just approved, it’s misleading to say the city was completely ignored. 

The claim contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.