Many Puerto Ricans were fuming Friday after reports emerged that the White House may raid disaster-relief funds approved by Congress last year to fund a security wall along the U. S.-Mexico border.
Many Puerto Ricans were fuming Friday after reports emerged that the White House may raid disaster-relief funds approved by Congress last year to fund a security wall along the U. S.-Mexico border.
Trump is considering a declaration of emergency to bypass Congress to fund the barrier. The White House directed the Army Corps of Engineers to examine a February 2018 funding measure to see what money could be diverted under such a declaration, a congressional aide with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The money would come from $13.9 billion of Corps funds, according to NBC, which cited three U. S. officials with knowledge of the matter. That could include $2.4 billion for California and $2.5 billion for Puerto Rico reconstruction, NBC reported.
In September 2017, Hurricane Maria obliterated Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, killing an estimated 2,975 people and leaving millions with little or no power for months. Federal aid allocated by lawmakers has started to dribble in, but the recovery remains tenuous at best. At the same time, the U. S. commonwealth remains plagued by a weak job market and its $120 billion in unpayable debts.
“The wall has turned into his only focus,” said Ana Groennou, a 70-year-old retired former marketing professional living in San Juan. “We still have people living under tarps.
