Following Earthquakes, HUD Will Lift Months-Long Block On $8.2B In Disaster Aid For Puerto Rico
Back in September, the Trump administration said it needed to ensure financial safeguards were put in place in light of recent political unrest on the island. The delay in funding incensed Democrats and other critics as Puerto Rico continues to struggle in the aftermath of multiple natural disasters.
Politico:
Trump To Lift Hold On $8.2B In Puerto Rico Disaster Aid
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will allow Puerto Rico to access more than $8 billion in blocked disaster aid funding, ending a monthslong hold by the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Puerto Rico, which suffered devastating losses from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, has received just $1.5 billion of the roughly $20 billion in congressionally authorized disaster funds that HUD is supposed to administer. (O'Donnell, 1/15)
The Hill:
Schumer, Senate Democrats Push Trump To Release Full Aid To Puerto Rico Following Earthquakes
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined 33 other Senate Democrats on Tuesday in a letter calling on the Trump administration to approve full aid to Puerto Rico in the wake of a series of earthquakes that hit the island in January. In the wake of a particularly strong 6.4-magnitude quake Jan. 7, “more than one million of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico were still without power” more than two days later, the letter states. (Budryk, 1/14)
