Leading Senate Democrats urged President Trump on Wednesday to take more action to help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands recover from Hurricane Maria.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, are among the Democrats who are pressing Trump to take eight specific actions.
“At a time when there is not a second to lose and the health and well-being of millions of Americans in the U.S. territories depend on swift action, we have identified several areas where strong and decisive leadership is needed,” the senators wrote in a letter to Trump.
The actions requested are:
• Issue a full disaster declaration for Puerto Rico.
• Request more funding to assist Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program.
• Use all federal resources to restore power, including sending Department of Energy experts, 500 utility employees, 100 fuel trucks and 200 generators.
• Work with Congress to waive the local cost share requirement for FEMA public assistance disaster funding.
• Send assets from across the federal government to restore communications, including from the Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Coast Guard and the Department of Defense.
• Ensure that FEMA, Coast Guard and Defense Department work together to restore all ports to working condition.
• Appoint a special assistant for rebuilding to coordinate the federal efforts for Puerto Rico.
• Send more military assets: construction battalions to repair power and transportation infrastructure, command and control aircraft for air traffic control; helicopters for search and rescue; and 1,500 service members to provide disaster and humanitarian assistance.
