Tom Bossert, homeland security adviser to President Trump, said Thursday that the administration will employ a “new business model” in its efforts to help Puerto Rico recover from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria.
“The entire U.S. government is bringing its firepower into Puerto Rico,” Bossert told reporters at the White House on Thursday.
Bossert subtly criticized the media for its increasingly negative coverage of the administration’s Puerto Rico response. Trump has increased his focus on the Puerto Rican crisis in recent days, but members of both parties have questioned the pace of his administration’s relief efforts.
“I understand the media coverage in some cases is giving the appearance that we’re not moving fast enough,” Bossert said.
“There’s an understandable degree of devastation on the island and for anybody that needs food and water, power, lifesaving needs, commodities, healthcare, then there’s nothing that can happen fast enough,” he said. “But what I will tell you is that we are mobilizing and marshaling the resources of the United States of America in a way that is absolutely professional, fast, adequate to meet those needs.”
“Now, what we have to do is marshall those resources in a way that distributes them through the island,” Bossert added.
