Letter to the Hon. Donald Trump, President - Expedite Disaster Payments to Puerto Rico

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

It has been over six months since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico and devastated homes, schools, and critical infrastructure throughout the island. Despite this, the timeliness and scope of the federal response has been slow, tepid, and completely inadequate. As American citizens continue to go without water or electricity, federal partners on the ground are beginning to pull out of some of the hardest hit areas. This is occurring while other aid has been slow to reach individuals and local governments. In order to pave the way for a speedy recovery, we urge your administration to do more in expediting disaster payments to Puerto Rico.

Recent news articles have shown a discrepancy in the administration of disaster aid to Puerto Rico compared to other states. This is completely unacceptable. Moreover, federal agencies in your administration have been slow to distribute the $89 billion of disaster aid Congress passed in February. People in Puerto Rico are suffering, and bureaucratic red tape should never stop our fellow citizens from having access to electricity, safe homes, or a quality education.

As Puerto Rico continues to recover, again, we ask that your administration do more to ensure that delays are not causing needless suffering on the island. Additionally, we ask that you provide us with a status update on how much of the $89 billion of disaster aid has been apportioned thus far, and what percentage of that amount has been allocated to Puerto Rico.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.

Sincerely,

Source