Schumer Statement On Biden Administration Moving To Release $1.3 Billion In Storm Aid And Removing Restrictions On $4.9 Billion In Aid For Puerto Rico
Washington, D.C. — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released the following statement today regarding the Biden administration’s move to release essential funds for Puerto Rico that were previously withheld by the former administration:
I commend President Biden for prioritizing the people of Puerto Rico and releasing $1.3 billion in storm aid and easing the limits on $4.9 billion in aid that the former president outrageously withheld just a few hours before he departed the White House for the last time. These funds are long overdue and are essential for our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico to rebuild from the 2017 hurricanes and to prepare for any future storms.
Nearly four years ago, we watched in horror as Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, claiming thousands of innocent American lives and causing the longest blackout in U.S. history. Today, after one of the worst natural disasters our nation’s ever faced, many Puerto Ricans are still struggling from the crumbling electric infrastructure and unequal access to federal resources, due to the immorally slow pace of fund disbursements from the previous administration. Democrats stand with our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and they can be assured that the Biden administration and Congress will deliver the necessary resources to recover quickly.
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