Puerto Rico Suffers From Trump’s Hostility And Disastrous Policies

Puerto Rico continues to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and in no small part to the Trump administration’s disastrous policies. Behind closed doors, Donald Trump is continuing to try to block efforts to give much needed aid to the island and make things worse for Puerto Rico residents grappling with food insecurity. Here’s the latest:

 

Donald Trump continues to treat Puerto Ricans as second-class citizens, and tried to limit federal support going to the island.

 

The Washington Post: “But at an Oval Office meeting on Feb. 22, Trump asked top advisers for ways to limit federal support from going to Puerto Rico, believing it is taking money that should be going to the mainland, according to senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the president’s’ private remarks.”

 

The Washington Post: “‘The problems of Puerto Rico have a root cause problem attached to it: We don’t have political power and are not treated as equal citizens,’ said Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló.”

 

Senate Republicans held back nutrition aid that primarily goes to children, the elderly and the disabled after Trump called it “excessive and unnecessary.”

 

The Washington Post: “In January, House Democrats approved $600 million in additional food stamp funding to finance the program until the fall, but the bill immediately stalled in the Senate with the Trump administration releasing a letter calling the additional food stamp aid ‘excessive and unnecessary.’”

 

The Washington Post: “Of the Puerto Ricans on the food stamp program in February 2018, about 55 percent are children, elderly or disabled, according to the preliminary findings of a forthcoming research paper by Hector Cordero-Guzman, a professor at Baruch College of the City University of New York.”

 

Trump’s hostility towards the island’s officials only hurts Puerto Ricans.

 

The Washington Post: “He has occasionally groused about how ungrateful political officials in Puerto Rico were for the administration’s help, the official said.”

 

The Washington Post: “A senior administration official with direct knowledge of the meeting described Trump’s stance: ‘He doesn’t want another single dollar going to the island.’”