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U.S. Congress Fighting Over Further Disaster Relief Funding For Puerto Rico

Officials deliver food and water to residents in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Jetta Disco/U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Officials deliver food and water to residents in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 12, 2017, Hurricane Maria.

There’s a battle in Congress over disaster relief funding. The Republican-backed bill was blocked by Democrats in the Senate on Monday. The sticking point: Puerto Rico.

In 2017, the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria, and this new bill would’ve reduced aid to the island. Opponents say funding for the island has always been slow and more is still needed. President Trump tweeted that night, writing that the aid already sent to Puerto Rico has been, “wasted.”

The Show spoke with Andrew Schrank, a Brown University professor and a member of the CNE Growth Commission — the only independent think tank on Puerto Rico.

 

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Steve Goldstein was a host at KJZZ from 1997 to 2022.