The governor of Puerto Rico is accusing President Trump of ignoring the island’s hurricane recovery needs, saying the president is receiving “ignorant” advice from aides.
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló called Mr. Trump’s comments about Puerto Rico “below the dignity of a sitting president” and “irresponsible, regrettable and, above all, unjustified.” He accused Mr. Trump of avoiding him.
“I invite the president to stop listening to ignorant and completely wrong advice,” Mr. Rosselló said in a statement late Tuesday. “Instead he should come to Puerto Rico to hear firsthand from the people on the ground. I invite him to put all of the resources at his disposal to help Americans in Puerto Rico, like he did for Texas and Alabama. No more, no less.”
During a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, Mr. Trump reportedly criticized the amount of disaster aid that Puerto Rico is receiving, pegging the number at $91 billion. He said it’s much more than hurricane aid for states such as Texas, Florida and South Carolina.
Congress is debating a disaster aid package of roughly $14 billion, and House Democrats say the legislation won’t move without more money for Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
“Nearly 3,000 American lives were lost in the historic storms that devastated Puerto Rico and destroyed its infrastructure, and the island is still struggling to recover,” House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, New York Democrat, said in a joint statement with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat.
Mr. Rosselló said Mr. Trump is getting incorrect information and called on the president to meet with him in person.
“I can only assume that Trump is receiving misleading information from his own staff,” the governor said. “I have now made several requests to meet with the president to discuss Puerto Rico’s recovery and reconstruction, but up to this day we haven’t received a confirmation or a date, even though Trump told me we would meet after his visit to Vietnam earlier this year.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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