How Much Money Went To Puerto Rico

Workers restore ability lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, in 2017. The Trump administration says information technology will accolade well-nigh $13 billion in infrastructure grants to help the island recover from the storm that hit 3 years ago. Ramon Espinosa/AP hide explanation

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Ramon Espinosa/AP

Workers restore power lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, in 2017. The Trump administration says information technology volition honor near $13 billion in infrastructure grants to aid the island recover from the storm that hit three years ago.

Ramon Espinosa/AP

Puerto Rico is being promised near $13 billion in federal disaster funding to repair its electrical and didactics infrastructure iii years afterwards Hurricane Maria'due south destruction and six weeks earlier the presidential election.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to award two separate grants to help rebuild Puerto Rico's electrical grid arrangement and educational facilities, the White House appear Friday.

"Today's grant announcements correspond some of the largest awards in FEMA'due south history for any single disaster recovery event and demonstrate the Federal Government's continuing commitment to help rebuild the territory and support the citizens of Puerto Rico and their recovery goals," the White Business firm statement said.

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico equally a Category 4 storm in September 2017, killing at least iii,000 residents and essentially destroying an electrical system that was already unreliable. Parts of the isle remained without power for almost a yr.

When asked why he had appear the plans 46 days earlier an election, and non in the aftermath of the devastating storm three years ago, President Trump blamed Democrats and said, "Nosotros've been working on it for a long time."

The White House said $9.6 billion in federal funding will help the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority "repair and replace thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, electric substations, power generation systems [and] role buildings," and brand other improvements to the grid.

An boosted $two billion grant to Puerto Rico'south Department of Education will get toward restoring school buildings and other educational facilities. Officials in Puerto Rico have sought to overhaul the public school organisation in Maria'due south backwash, including by allowing charter schools, despite backfire from teachers.

"Our schools and our electrical arrangement require priority attending, particularly after the natural events that Puerto Rico has experienced during the past 3 years," Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez said, adding that the funds will go toward services essential to the public.

Vázquez as well said that the funding is thanks to the work of, and good relations with, the White House and Trump.

Congress originally allocated the aid in 2018, but it has been held up every bit local and federal governments wrangled over how much repairs would toll and what kind of controls would exist placed on spending.

In August 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Evolution placed restrictions on the flow of aid to Puerto Rico. But it also announced the release of billions of dollars to certain states hitting by natural disasters, drawing criticism for being stricter toward Puerto Rico than other jurisdictions.

The assistants has cited concerns about declared "mismanagement and corruption" in Puerto Rico as the reason for the holdup.

Earlier this yr, HUD released its agree on more than than $8 billion in aid, which was supposed to reach the island in September 2019.

Recovery efforts post-obit hurricanes Maria and Irma have been tedious in Puerto Rico, and the Trump administration has faced criticism over its response. In 2018, an internal FEMA report found that the bureau failed to set properly for the previous year'southward hurricane flavour and did not adequately support the affected regions.

Trump has disputed the number of hurricane-related deaths on the isle and called the federal regime's response to Maria "an incredible, unsung success."

On Friday, Democratic lawmakers raised questions near the timing of the funding announcement. Both Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are courtship the Latino vote in Florida, a major swing country.

During a visit to Florida this week, Biden focused outreach efforts on the Puerto Rican customs and announced a plan to help with the island's recovery from economic challenges as well equally natural disasters.

Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-Northward.Y., pointed out in a statement that the Trump administration waited to classify necessary funds until but before the election.

"While I certainly hope to come across this money put to expert use making Puerto Rico'due south electrical system more resilient, these delays are unacceptable, and it is insulting to Puerto Ricans everywhere that the Assistants is and then blatantly playing politics with this aid," she said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chair of the Business firm Committee on Natural Resources, said in a statement that the filibuster in disaster aid for infrastructure rebuilding will accept long-term economic and political consequences.

"President Trump talks about Puerto Rico like an unwanted colony full of people he thinks are dingy and not worth helping," Grijalva said. "It will take years for Puerto Rico to repair the unnecessary impairment this president and his incompetent assistants take caused the Puerto Rican people, and they won't forget information technology."

Source: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/18/914466896/trump-administration-announces-nearly-13-billion-in-aid-for-puerto-rico

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