The Trump administration is delaying billions of dollars in federal disaster aid to Puerto Rico amid a fiscal and political crisis that led to the resignation of the island territory’s governor.
Other areas hit by natural disasters from 2015 to 2017, however, will soon begin receiving their shares of $16 billion allocated by Congress last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said. The total package was split into two tranches so all areas wouldn’t be affected by issues in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Secretary Ben Carson said.
The first round of aid includes funds for Texas, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, California, Missouri, and Georgia and will be distributed once the states detail how they intend to spend it. Carson blamed the delays elsewhere on “alleged corruption, fiscal irregularities and financial mismanagement” in Puerto Rico and “capacity issues” in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Untangling these funds from each other will help recovery and planning move forward in communities capable of properly and prudently disbursing funds, all the while protecting taxpayers who are footing the bill,” Carson said.
Acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said the Trump administration wants to ensure federal dollars are safeguarded from abuse.
“With the history of corruption and mismanagement of federal funds, the people of Puerto Rico deserve true leadership that will build economic opportunity,” Vought said. “Until proper controls are in place, releasing additional hardworking taxpayer funds would be irresponsible.”
It’s unclear when the aid will be sent to Puerto Rico, but the island has $1.5 billion in hand, of which more than $800,000 has been spent. Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, a Category 5 storm that left 1.5 million residents without power.
In addition to Puerto Rico’s ongoing fiscal issues, the territory has been in political turmoil after the leaking of incendiary comments made by outgoing Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in private messages to his inner circle. The leaks followed the arrests of two former top officials in Puerto Rico in a corruption scandal.
Protests broke out afterward, and Rosselló announced his resignation late last month. It’s set to take effect Friday at 5 p.m., but his appointed successor, Pedro Pierluisi, has not yet been approved by Puerto Rico’s legislature. Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez Garced was next in the line of succession, but she said she is not interested in the job.
