President Donald Trump has announced that he will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday- nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated the island territory.
“Puerto Rico needs a lot of money, I’m going to Puerto Rico on Tuesday (October 5),” President Trump said, speaking with lawmakers. “Tuesday seems to be the first time we can do without really disrupting first responders and the efforts that are being made to help people,” he added.
The White House announced that it would increase funds to Puerto Rico to assist with debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for 180 days.
“I have directed all relevant departments and agencies to assist in the response and recovery effort,” Trump told a press conference. “The recovery process will be a very, very difficult one. We will get through this, and we will get through it together.”
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello tweeted that he had briefed the president on the situation on the ground, and thanked him for his quick response.
On Monday, in a series of tweets, Trump said Puerto Rico’s infrastructure contributed to the severity of Maria’s impact. He also noted the territory’s debt crisis “must be dealt with,” though his tweets offered no specifics on what that might mean.
Carmen Yulin Cruz, mayor of San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico, said on CNN Tuesday that these were two separate issues. She acknowledged Puerto Rico’s debt, “But you don’t put debt above people, you put people above debt,” she said.
Puerto Rico’s governor warned that island faces a “humanitarian crisis” in the wake of two hurricanes if the U.S. government does not move quickly to help.
“Puerto Rico is part of the United States. We need to take swift action,” Rossello said at a news conference Monday in the capital San Juan.
“The magnitude of this hurricane and the two we passed is unprecedented,” he added, noting Puerto Rico’s government debt of more than $70 billion even before the hurricane.
Puerto Rico remains without power, except for generators, and phone service is spotty, as officials struggle to provide food and water to those affected by the worst storm to hit the island of 3.4 million in nearly a century.
U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said Monday Congress is committed to relief efforts in Puerto Rico, saying images and stories from the island are “devastating”.
“Congress is working with the administration to ensure necessary resources get to the U.S. territory. Our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico remain in our prayers as we make sure they have what they need,” Ryan said in a statement.
Upon returning from a visiting the island Monday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio said power crews were needed as soon as possible, warning of the “potential for serious crisis.”
Both Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority and Minority leaders respectively, spoke on Puerto Rico in comments Tuesday on the Senate floor, promising to work with federal agencies to ensure adequate aid on the island.
In addition to Puerto Rico, Maria lashed other parts of the Caribbean.
Twenty-seven people were reported dead on Dominica, which has a population of about 71,000. Three deaths were reported in Haiti, two in the French territory of Guadeloupe and one in the Dominican Republic.