Indeependent
Diamond Member
- Nov 19, 2013
- 73,633
- 28,506
- 2,250
Tell us why Trump did not want to send money to Puerto Rico.Red tape and indifference is one thing, but this is inexcusable. Withholding financial assistance during a declared state of emergency by making it harder if not impossible to meet the requirements to have the funds released shows the extent of the depravity of mind that some of us always knew existed, particularly as illustrated in the following excerpts
The Trump administration's OMB also insisted on overhauls to Puerto Rico’s property management records, suspension of its minimum wage on federal contracts and other prerequisites to access relief funds, according to the report. Some HUD officials worried such requirements were potentially beyond HUD’s authority to impose on grantees.The Office of Inspector General began the review in March 2019 after Congress asked it to look into hurricane aid delays as the island sought to recover from a storm that resulted in the deaths of 2,975 people and triggered the world's second-longest blackout.Seven months after the probe was launched, two top HUD officials admitted to knowingly missing the congressionally mandated deadline to issue a notice that would have unlocked billions in federal recovery funds to Puerto Rico. Carson later defended his agency's actions by echoing Trump talking points — citing concerns about corruption, fiscal irregularities and "Puerto Rico's capacity to manage these funds."Throughout his term, Trump repeatedly opposed disaster funding for Puerto Rico while disputing and failing to acknowledge Maria's death toll. Trump had also told top White House officials "that he did not want a single dollar going to Puerto Rico," the Washington Post reported in 2019. "Instead, he wanted more of the money to go to Texas and Florida."